Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 262

**When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 262**

**Chapter 262**

Sydney instinctively shook her head, the gesture almost automatic. “It doesn’t hurt,” she asserted, her voice steady, though a flicker of uncertainty danced in her eyes.

The scrape was minor, merely a surface wound that barely breached the skin. Even after she had meticulously cleaned and bandaged it, there had been no sensation, no sting to remind her of its existence. Now, it had formed a scab, a protective barrier against the world. As long as no one seized her arm with the same force that he had just done, she was certain it would remain a mere afterthought.

However, the moment she dismissed her pain, Julian was swept away by a flood of memories, a vivid flashback to a time when Sydney was just a small child.

She had never been one to tolerate discomfort. At the slightest hint of illness, when the family doctor arrived to insert an IV, tears would cascade down her cheeks even before the medicine had been prepared.

Back then, she was so small, her vulnerability palpable.

Tears streamed down Sydney’s face like a string of pearls that had suddenly come undone. One of her hands was firmly held by the doctor, while her other hand clutched Julian’s with a desperation that spoke volumes.

Through her sobs, her voice trembled as she barked out a command, “Julian, cover my eyes, quick!”

The thought of seeing a needle sent her into a spiral of panic. She was delicate, fragile to her very core.

Julian, exasperated, covered her eyes with his hand, muttering under his breath, “You could just shut them yourself, you know.”

She was a handful, without a doubt.

Yet, even as she snuffled, she attempted to sound sweet and convincing. “If I close them myself, I can’t see anything, and that’s scarier. But if you cover them, it means you’ll protect me.”

‘So demanding, yet so justified,’ Julian mused, a mix of exasperation and affection swirling in his mind.

He had always believed that Sydney made far too much of a fuss over trivial matters.

But now, the tables had turned. She no longer flinched at the thought of pain; in fact, she seemed to fear nothing at all. And yet, inexplicably, Julian felt an overwhelming tightness in his chest, as if he were being constricted from within, a sensation he couldn’t quite shake.

Sydney noticed the faraway look in his eyes. “Julian?” she called softly, a hint of concern lacing her tone.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify