Chapter 17
“Mm.” Zac nodded, showing little reaction.
He wasn’t buying Emma’s sweet act. The two of them had never gotten along well, and now they walked side by side in silence. The carpeted hallway muffled their footsteps, creating an awkward tension between them.
Zac eventually broke the silence. “How’s your recovery going? You seem a bit weak, and you’ve got some sweat on your forehead. You should really focus on resting and eating well until you’re fully recovered. Don’t overexert yourself.”
He didn’t particularly like Emma, but he knew how much justin cared for her. If anything happened to her health, Justin would likely hold him, the attending doctor, responsible. And that would mean extra work and overtime for
him.
Justin was unreasonable when it came to the people he cared about, especially Emma, who was practically his one true love.
Zac just hoped Emma would have some sense and stop pushing herself with her fragile, undernourished body. He wasn’t thrilled to see her out and about before she had fully recovered.
“Thanks for your concern, but I’m fine. It’s just the heat outside that made me sweat,” Emma replied dismissively.
“Sweating outside was one thing,” Zac thought, “but sweating indoors with the AC on?” He raised an eyebrow, sensing she was lying, but said nothing further as they continued toward Justin’s room.
They walked all the way to Justin’s room and stopped outside the door. On the left was Zac’s room, and on the right was Emma’s.
It was clear they were both looking for Justin. They exchanged a glance, but neither made a move to speak or knock on the door first.
Inside the room, Justin was sitting on the couch with a small mirror on the coffee table in front of him, along with some medical supplies. He tilted his head as he disinfected the bite wound on his neck with an iodine–soaked cotton swab.
“Ah!” he hissed as the sting of the antiseptic hit, and his expression darkened. “What, is Emily a dog? Did she have to bite so hard?” he thought.
They had been intimate before but now she was acting all chaste and proper just because she had been with another guy. The thought of the red marks on her neck only irritated him further. He scowled at his reflection as he continued cleaning the wound.
The doorbell rang abruptly.
“Damn it, who is it now?” he muttered, cursing under his breath as he got up to answer it.
Finally, Zac couldn’t hold back and knocked on the door. Emma seemed content to wait, but he had things to take care of.
When the door opened, they were met with Justin’s gaze, and the three of them locked eyes. The moment Justin saw both Emma and Zac standing there, his irritation and anger faded, and he quickly composed himself.
Their eyes were both fixed on his neck, the bite mark unmistakably visible. The intensity of their gazes made Justin feel caught off guard, like he had been busted doing something he shouldn’t have. He had forgotten about the bite mark entirely before opening the door.
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Chapter 17
+15 BONUS
Seeing Zac there didn’t bother him, but with Emma, it was a different story. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears as she fought to keep them from spilling over. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and her expression was a mixture of hurt and disappointment.
It was clear that his unexplained absences and the scene in the hallway with another woman had finally broken through her defenses.
Chapter 18
