Larissa resumed her work on Finley\u2019s injured leg with a mix of teasing firmness and skilled precision. Despite the intense pain, Finley managed to stay conscious this time, though his right leg was left numb, burning, and useless. As he struggled to stand, the harsh reality of his crippling injury hit him hard, shattering his pride and leaving him in despair. He whispered his fear of becoming a cripple, revealing the depth of his vulnerability.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Larissa, unimpressed by his emotional breakdown, dismissed his weakness with mild disdain. Having endured decades of harsh survival and brutal battles, she saw Finley\u2019s fragility as a stark contrast to her own resilience. She had only severed the tendons in his right leg, yet he crumbled like a delicate flower, far less tough than she expected.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The tense moment was interrupted by unexpected applause from behind Larissa. Turning around, she found Haskell, the man who had previously come looking for her. Now in a wheelchair, he revealed that he too had been crippled here, his legs broken while he was fully awake, just like Finley. His calm demeanor and angelic smile masked the painful memories he carried.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite the shared suffering, Larissa remained resolute and unyielding. She reassured Haskell that she would heal his legs, a promise that he accepted with quiet faith. In a tender gesture, Haskell gently wiped the blood from Larissa\u2019s hands, creating a brief moment of silent connection between them amidst the surrounding pain and brokenness.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere, that\u2019s more like it,\u201d Larissa said with a satisfied smirk, picking up the knife once again. \u201cKeep cursing me like that, and you won\u2019t pass out on me this time.\u201d Her tone was teasing but firm as she resumed her work with steady hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cAaargh!\u201d Finley howled, his face draining of color until it was almost ghostly pale.<\/p>\n
Yet, this time, he stayed awake.<\/p>\n
Larissa glanced up, pleased. \u201cAlright, that should do the trick,\u201d she said, finally setting the knife aside. \u201cI only worked on your right leg. You should be grateful you used your right foot to crush both of my herbs. Had you used both feet, you\u2019d be losing both legs today.\u201d<\/p>\n
She tossed the knife carelessly onto the ground, then administered an antidote to him\u2014a concoction that would gradually restore his mobility. Standing tall, she crossed her arms and looked down at him with a hint of pride. \u201cNow, get up and try to walk. Can you still move your right leg?\u201d<\/p>\n
Finley blinked, then slowly became aware that movement was possible again. Gritting his teeth against the searing pain, he forced himself upright. But his right leg felt like dead weight, numb and unresponsive, consumed by a burning agony that refused to fade.<\/p>\n
A cold dread settled in his chest. His right leg was utterly useless.<\/p>\n
How had it come to this? He was supposed to be the one teaching his so-called sister a lesson, avenging Honora\u2019s name. Yet here he was, the one crippled and broken.<\/p>\n
No. He could not accept this.<\/p>\n
In that crushing moment, the proud Finley\u2019s ego shattered completely. He clutched his head, his body trembling as a broken sob escaped his lips.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo\u2026 I don\u2019t want to be a cripple\u2026\u201d he whispered, voice cracking with despair.<\/p>\n
Larissa rolled her eyes in mild disdain at his display. \u201cHow dull,\u201d she muttered under her breath.<\/p>\n
She had expected more resilience from him. She had only severed the tendons in his right leg, yet he was already falling apart like a fragile doll. He had no idea what she had endured over the past twenty years\u2014the life-or-death battles, the endless struggles to survive. Compared to her, he was nothing more than a delicate flower, raised in a greenhouse, easily shattered.<\/p>\n
Larissa was about to turn away when a slow, deliberate round of applause echoed behind her.<\/p>\n
\u201cClap. Clap. Clap.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes narrowed sharply as she spun around, searching for the source of the unexpected sound.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaskell?\u201d she asked, surprise flickering across her face. \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n
The man approaching her wore a calm, almost angelic smile\u2014the very same man who had come looking for her back in the village.<\/p>\n
Haskell allowed Crispin to push his wheelchair forward, his serene expression unwavering. \u201cI came to visit the place that crippled me,\u201d he said softly. \u201cI certainly didn\u2019t expect to witness such an\u2026 interesting scene. It was quite spectacular, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n
Larissa cocked her head, intrigued. \u201cSo you were kidnapped and had your legs broken here too.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded slowly, his hand resting over his legs. His long lashes lowered, trembling slightly as if lost in distant memories.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust like your brother,\u201d he murmured. \u201cThey broke my legs while I was fully awake.\u201d<\/p>\n
Larissa had never been one for comforting words. Over two decades of fighting for survival had taught her that empty platitudes were useless. The only real protection was strength\u2014making yourself so capable that no one could touch you. That was why, whenever she found something she was good at, she pursued it relentlessly, practicing until she was unmatched.<\/p>\n
Her medical expertise was a perfect example. When it came to the ancient healing arts, she wouldn\u2019t claim to be the very best, but she certainly wouldn\u2019t let anyone else say they were better.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaskell, don\u2019t worry,\u201d she said firmly. \u201cI promised I\u2019d heal your legs, and I will.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked up, meeting her clear, determined eyes, and smiled softly. \u201cI believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small white handkerchief. Gently waving off Crispin\u2019s offered help, he wheeled himself closer to Larissa.<\/p>\n
To her surprise, he carefully used the cloth to wipe the blood from her hands, his touch gentle and deliberate.<\/p>\n
For a moment, the room was silent except for the faint rustling of fabric and the distant sounds of the wind outside, as two souls connected quietly amidst the brokenness around them.<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
Wings of Broken Time by Alina Das 43 Wings of Broken Time by Alina Das 43 Summary Larissa resumed her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[89],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-throne-of-thorns-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30562\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}