Chapter 21 ~ Shaken
Alex
She blinks at me and I lock my jaw. Seeing her bruises and how she’s in pain but trying to hide it is doing things to me that
shouldn’t happen.
I kept telling myself I’m only here because I have to save face but my heart knows it’s bullshit.
I came because I wanted to be here. Fuck, I haven’t even left since the day she fell.
Once she’s better I’m going to turn this city upside down just so I can find the fucker who dared push her. I know this because I retrieved the deleted footage. They thought they were smart but nothing goes beyond Luc
“Well, I don’t care.” She argues. Making me sigh in frustration.
Her exams are over, but her professor said he’d make sure she gets to write deferred. But I choose not to tell her so I can see how far she will go.
Pushing her buttons seems to be my favorite game lately.
She tries to stand but her legs give out and she falls forward.
I step closer and hold her as she falls into my arms like it’s the most natural thing.
Her body is warm against mine, and for a split second, everything stops.
Her scent, that mix of something between vanilla and flowers, wraps around me and messes with my head. I can feel her heart
pounding, a loud rhythm that matches the storm in my chest.
Then, just as fast, she’s shoving at me. Hard.
“Let go of me!” she snaps, her voice hoarse but still carrying that bite I’ve come to know too well.
I don’t move.
My grip on her waist stays firm–not because I want to hold her, but because I know the moment I let go, she’ll crumple to the floor again.
“Stop fighting me,” I say through gritted teeth. “You can’t even stand.”
Her hand fists the front of my shirt, but it’s not to steady herself–it’s a protest.
“I’d rather fall on my face than have you touch me.”
“Don’t make me test that theory because I will.” I retort.
A sick part of me wants to let her go, just to prove a point. Let her hit the cold floor so she remembers that no matter how much she fights me, she still needs me. But I don’t.
1/4
Fuck it.
I can’t.
It’s like someone is remote controlling me.
I’ve always been in control. Of my actions, emotions, and everything I do.
But something tells me that’s about to be a thing of the past.
My jaw ticks, and my arms stay locked around her.
“Would you stop being so damn difficult?” I growl.
Her eyes flash. “I didn’t ask you to be here. I don’t need you, Alex. No one else is here. So you can drop the perfect husband act.”
I laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “Yeah? Is that why you’re clinging to me right now?”
Her grip tightens for a moment. Her eyes move to her hands and it’s like she realizes I caught her slipping.
She shoves me again, this time with everything she’s got. I let her go, but not before making sure she’s steady on the bed.
She glares at me, her chest rising and falling too fast, either from anger or the effort of standing. Maybe both. “You’re so full of yourself. Just because you showed up doesn’t mean I owe you anything.”
I take a step back, running a hand through my hair. “Trust me, sweetheart, I don’t want anything from you. You shouldn’t have landed face flat on the floor. That would have saved us both the trouble.”
“Would you have preferred I fell on the back of my head and cracked my skull open?” She whispers and I’m tempted to spew more nonsense about how I’d rather break mine that let her go through such kind of pain.
But maybe this is what I need, to be an asshole so everything can align.
“Yes.” My voice responds.
It’s flat but audible.
She nods.
“So you can marry Leah?”
“Yes.”
“How long?” She asks.
I furrow my brows.
“How long what?”
“How long would it take you to marry her if I died?”
2/4
The door opens and the doctor steps in. A man in his late 40s with too much gel in his hair.
I don’t like him.
Will I overdo it if I ask for the previous one?
“How are you feeling dear?” He asks and my jaw clenches.
Dear?
“Much better,” Athena responds with her eyes locked to mine.
“I need to check the injuries on your body,” he says to her, his voice even.
Before she can respond, I move, stepping between them.
“Get a female doctor,” I say, jaw tight.
The doctor blinks. “There are no female doctors available until tomorrow. I can assure you sir, this will be quick.”
Sir?
Is he new in the City?
Athena lets out a frustrated sigh behind me.
“Alex, stop being ridiculous.”
“Is he your boyfriend?” The doctor asks, and the more he opens his mouth to speak, the higher the temptation of cutting out his
voice box grows.
“No.”
“Wow. He seems to care about you a lot.”
“That would be new.” Athena retorts. “He’s not here for me.” She snorts.
“Do you chat so much with all your patients?” I interrupt. Feeling annoyed.
“My apologies.”
The doctor adjusts his glasses and takes a step forward, he stands a little too close than I like.
“Alex, get the hell out,” she snaps at me, her tone cold. “I don’t need you seeing me naked.”
I don’t move.
I can’t. The idea of leaving her alone like this, vulnerable, makes my skin crawl.
3/4
Besides, I don’t trust this fucker. I would call for other doctors, but my mind has been playing games lately and I don’t want to
alarm the situation.
I open my mouth to argue, but the doctor raises a hand. “It won’t take long,” he says calmly.
Every muscle in my body is wound tight, but I force myself to back away. My eyes stay on her as I step outside, the door clicking shut behind me.
I pace back and forth while tapping my forefinger on my Rolex
The door clicks open.
I stop pacing.
The doctor steps out, a smile plastered on his face, too polite, too practiced. It’s the kind of smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes
– and I notice, because I notice everything.
“All done,” he says lightly, straightening his lab coat as if I give a damn about his professionalism.
My eyes slide past him, to the gap between the door and the frame, catching a glimpse of Athena. She’s sitting upright on the bed, but something’s off.
Her shoulders are too stiff, her jaw tight. She’s staring at a spot on the wall, blinking too slowly, like she’s trying to control her breathing.
Not good.
“Why do you look shaken?” The words leave my mouth before I can stop them, a low growl barely disguised as a question.
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