Your Guise Is Slipping, Miss Pearl (Pearl and Richard) novel Chapter 970

Esther lay in the hospital bed, her breathing steady. It seemed like she was out of danger.

"James, you must be exhausted from looking after Esther. You should rest. She wouldn't want you to overexert yourself," Pearl advised, moved by James's dedicated care for Esther.

"I'm alright. I managed to get an hour of sleep earlier."

"You've been here for a whole day and only slept for an hour?" Pearl sighed, concerned for James's well-being.

Before she could continue, she noticed Esther stirring. "Is Esther waking up?" she exclaimed, surprised by the sudden movement.

James, too, noticed it, feeling her hand tremble slightly in his grasp.

After a while, Esther opened her eyes.

"James..." Her voice was hoarse as tears welled up in her eyes at the sight of him, the man whom she had been missing day and night.

James fetched a glass of water from the nearby table, put a straw in it, and offered it to Esther. "Here, have some water. Your throat must be dry."

Esther nodded and gratefully accepted the water, her spirits seeming to lift with the simple gesture.

"You're here too, Pearl?" Her gaze shifted to Pearl, her eyes brimming with tears and longing.

"You had us worried sick. You need to take better care of yourself when you're abroad," Pearl scolded gently. But guilt gripped her at the sight of Esther's pale face.

Esther brushed off Pearl's concern with a smile. "Okay, I'll remember next time."

Esther smiled weakly, relieved. "I will, don't worry."

As James stood up, a wave of dizziness hit him, a result of neglecting his own health. He steadied himself and turned to Pearl with a serious request, "Please, let me know right away if Esther's condition changes."

Pearl promised him.

With James gone, Esther turned to Pearl, her voice weary, "I'm sleepy, Pearl. I think I'll sleep for a while."

Pearl nodded. Her heart softened as she touched Esther's hair and said dotingly, "Rest well. I'll be here with you."

As Esther drifted off to sleep, Pearl and Richard took a seat on a nearby couch, speaking in hushed tones as they watched over her.