Dhevaprom: Kwanruetai

Chapter 33

"Are you holding up okay? Please, let me stay with you."

After helping Khwanruthai visit Samlee in the recovery room, Chatklao escorted her back to her quarters. She hadn't spoken a single word, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

"You should go. I can manage on my own," she said, cutting him off. Despite her grief, her posture remained straight and resolute.

"But I'm worried about you. Let me stay and keep you company."

"I already told you—I'm fine on my own. You have other patients to look after."

"I'm not on duty today. I only came because I wanted to help Samlee."

Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. Khwanruthai lifted her head, quickly wiping them away.

Chatklao could see the pain etched into her face. Both victims had been dear to her—one taken suddenly, the other critically injured. The police had delivered the bodies of Maiseek and Nangmaen for autopsy, and the sight of them had left Chatklao deeply shaken. They had been brutally murdered.

"I can't thank you enough. I'll never forget what you've done."

"I'm not here for gratitude."

"Then what is it you want?"

"Are you still angry at me, Khwan? Why can't we face this together? You're struggling. Let me help you."

"No, please, Mhom. Don't let the name of the Jutathep family be tarnished because of me."

Her words struck him like an invisible blow. Khwanruthai's bitterness, rooted in her birth and social status, was something he could never change.

"I've never cared about being Mhom. I'm just a man kneeling before a woman, asking for her love."

Her eyes brimmed with tears she could no longer hold back. "Don't make me feel worse than I already do. This... this has to end."

Chatklao took her hand, his sorrow written plainly on his face.

She turned away, letting the tears flow freely.

"I won't give up, Khwan. I love you. I won't let you go."

Her hand slipped from his grasp. "You already know I'm the daughter of a mistress. And now, my brother has been arrested for drug trafficking. Don't let me pull you down any further."

"I don't care about any of that. I believe your brother is innocent, and you've done nothing wrong. None of us can choose where we come from, but we can choose how we live. I've always seen you for who you are—a good, strong woman."

"But your family won't see it that way. Your future is bright, Mhom. Don't let someone like me drag you down. If I'd known you were part of the Jutathep family, I'd have never spoken to you. Let's end this here. I'll go my way, and you go yours."

"Why won't you let me help you?"

"Because I don't need it. I'll stand on my own." Her tear-streaked face lifted with unshakable determination.

"You need someone by your side. Let me be that person."

"No. My life is with P'Kong and my mother. You already know who my mother is. No matter how much you care, she'll never allow it. Let's end this now so we don't suffer any more than we already have."

"What happened with your mother has nothing to do with us. Why let the past haunt you?"

"For you, it's the past. For me, it's everything. My mother suffered because of your family. I can't just forget. Let me go, so we can at least remain friends."