Stepping out of her thoughts and before Ava took a step away from Daniel, he quickly moved his free arm and took the girl by the wrist to catch her attention one last time before she left.

"Daniel... I see you've recovered more of your strength," Ava said, surprised by how quickly his body was responding, a sign of improvement.

He shrugged and winked at her, which made the young woman smile.

"Did you want to tell me something else? I suppose," Ava said, eager to hear Daniel's words.

"Yes, that's right," he replied. "I want and need you to consider continuing your studies, please. Let me help you with that; from here, I can finance the rest of your studies."

The young woman was moved inside; he genuinely cared about her progress, and that made her excited about such a gesture, even though she wanted to show reluctance.

"I don't want to be a burden to you, Daniel."

"You're not a burden, Ava, for God's sake! Take it as an investment in our future together. Do you trust me?"

Excited and g