Chapter 212 I Don’t Need Special Treatment
Damien was very different from how he used to be.
Cherise looked at him, entranced. In the past, she had never noticed this energetic side of the man who was always in a wheelchair. Could it be that she was the reason for his change?
Cherise shook her head, abruptly interrupting her train of thought. What had she been thinking? Even the truth about Damien’s eyes was uncovered by her, with Damien merely acknowledging. her discovery. How could she be so naive as to a*sume she was the cause of his transformation?
With these musings, a sensation of loss swelled within her heart, like ink saturating paper. It weighed on her until Lucy tugged at her arm and said, “Let’s go!”
Only then did Cherise return to reality; it was time for the physical fitness test.
Due to her short stature, her starting position was toward the rear, and she happened to be in the last group of students participating in the 800-meter a*sessment.
Observing the students who went before her, visibly fatigued and sweating, Cherise felt an inexplicable pressure mounting within her.
Positioned at the starting line, Lucy clenched her fist and cheered her on. “You’ve got this!”
Cherise’s gaze involuntarily shifted to Damien. He had stripped off his outer layer, revealing at white T-shirt identical to hers. With a sun hat, stopwatch hanging around his neck, and the attendance roster in hand, he emitted a youthful vibe, more like a fellow student helping out than a teacher conducting an a*sessment.
Cherise’s heart quickened.
Sensing her gaze, Damien smiled gently at her. “Get ready.”
Cherise refocused her attention and fixed her gaze ahead. With the whistle’s shrill sound, she and the other girls bolted off.
Yet, strangely, just halfway around the track, the girls’ pace in front of Cherise began to dwindle. Although Cherise maintained her initial speed, her thoughts wandered to Damien, her mind. drifting.
Two of the girls collided in a moment of distraction, and due to inertia, Cherise found herself sprawled on the ground. Strong, masculine hands steadied her shoulders just before her face could meet the unforgiving earth.
While her face was spared a painful collision, her knee took the brunt of the fall, slamming onto the rubber track with an agonizing thud that furrowed her brows.
Damien lent a hand and inquired, “Can you keep going?”
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Cherise clenched her teeth and responded, “Yes.”
Giving up halfway wasn’t in her nature, especially not for a minor scrape.
“Perfect, Damien said with a touch of admiration.
“Let’s patch you up now and have you complete the test separately. I’ll also inform the PE teacher about your situation. If you make it to the finish line, you’ll pa*s.”
Cherise shook her head. “No thanks,” Pa*s or fail, she didn’t need any special treatment.
Damien gestured to Lucy. “Let’s patch her up. We shouldn’t delay the other students.”
“Are you going to run again later?” Lucy questioned, frowning as she applied a band-aid to Cherise’s leg. “They might pa*s you since Damien’s your husband, even if you don’t make it.”
“With an injury like this, they really should consider pa*sing you.”
Cherise shook her head. “It’s just a minor injury, and I don’t want any special treatment.”
“Plus…” She observed Damien as he meticulously recorded the results for the other students, occasionally glancing her way. “It’s just 800 meters; I’ve got this.”
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