Chapter 42

Laura's POV

One moment, I was drowning in the fire of his kiss, his touch branding me in ways I wasn’t prepared for. The next, he yanked me up so fast my head spun. My breath hitched as he gripped my wrist, pulling me to my feet as if nothing had just happened.

What the hell?

I barely had time to register the loss of his warmth before he was already moving, his sharp eyes scanning the training hall. His entire demeanor shifted, no longer teasing or smug but calculating, alert. Something was up.

“Go home.” His voice was low, controlled.

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

He turned, and that damn smirk stretched across his lips, but there was something different about it this time. Something dark. Almost… evil.

I frowned. “What’s going on?”

He didn’t answer immediately. He stepped closer, and for a second, I thought he might kiss me again. Instead, he reached out, brushing a stray strand of hair from my face, his fingers lingering at my jaw. “You should leave,” he murmured. “Now.”

I swallowed, my stomach knotting. The shift in him was too sudden, too precise to be anything but calculated. “Why are you smiling like that?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

His grin widened, sharp and knowing. “Because I like watching you squirm.”

I scowled, my earlier haze of desire snapping under the weight of irritation. “You’re infuriating.”

“And you’re stubborn.” He stepped back, his gaze flickering over my shoulder toward the dimly lit entrance of the hall. “Go home, Laura.”

His voice had changed, becoming quieter, and more serious.

I hesitated, torn between pressing for answers and walking away like he wanted. But I wasn’t stupid. Something was wrong.

Still, standing here arguing wouldn’t get me anywhere.

With a frustrated sigh, I turned on my heel and walked away.

I kept glancing back even as I walked toward the exit, my heart pounding in a way that had nothing to do with the grueling training session. I had a lot of questions. It almost felt like he was protecting me ..no…hiding me from something.

Something was wrong, I could feel it in the air, thick and tense like an impending storm. His smirk haunted me, a cruel and knowing twist of his lips that only added to my unease.

The moment I stepped outside, two guards flanked me. My usual escort. It wasn’t anything unusual, but tonight, their presence felt heavier, more suffocating.

“Take me home,” I muttered, climbing into the back seat of the black SUV. The guards exchanged glances before nodding, and the car rumbled to life.

As we pulled away from the training hall, I exhaled, pressing my fingers to my temples. My body ached from the workout, but my mind was racing. What had just happened back there? Why had he kissed me? And why the hell had he grinned like that before sending me away? Was there anything that frightened that bastard?

I gnawed on my bottom lip, my pulse erratic. So why did it feel like I’d just been used as a pawn in a game I didn’t even understand?

The thought unsettled me.

Halfway through the drive, I couldn’t take it anymore. The anxiety, the gnawing sense of unease,it was too much.

“Change the route,” I ordered, my voice firmer than I felt.

The guard driving glanced at me through the rearview mirror. “Miss?”

“Take me to the hospital. I want to see my mother.”

Silence filled the car for a beat. I knew what they were thinking. It was late. Visiting hours were likely over. But I also knew they wouldn’t deny me. Not when they had orders to keep me safe.

The driver hesitated for only a moment before nodding. “Understood.”

The car made a smooth turn at the next intersection, and my heart clenched.

I needed to see her.

To remind myself why I couldn’t afford to fall into whatever twisted game Kelvin was playing.

The hospital loomed in the darkness, its towering structure bathed in cold fluorescent light. The SUV rolled to a stop at the entrance, and before the guards could open the door, I pushed it open myself, stepping out into the crisp night air. My chest tightened as I made my way inside, the sterile scent of antiseptic filling my nostrils the moment I stepped through the doors.

The nurses at the front desk glanced up, recognition flashing in their eyes. No one stopped me. They knew why I was here. I walked past them without a word, my boots echoing against the polished floor as I made my way to the private wing where my mother was kept.

Room 306.

I barely noticed the guards trailing behind me as I turned the knob and stepped inside. The steady beeping of the heart monitor filled the room, a cruel reminder of the life hanging in the balance before me.

My mother lay still, her face pale, framed by soft brown curls that had lost their usual shine. Wires and tubes surrounded her, the machines keeping her tethered to this world. My throat constricted, and my hands clenched into fists at my sides.

I took a shaky step closer, my vision blurring.

"Hey, Mom," I whispered, my voice barely above a breath. "It’s me."

She didn’t respond, of course. She never did. It had been months, and still, she remained trapped in this state, somewhere between life and death.

I sank into the chair beside her bed, reaching out to take her cold hand in mine. My fingers curled around hers, seeking warmth that wasn’t there.

"I’m almost done," I murmured, my voice thick with emotion. "A few more months, and I’ll be free of this. Of them. And then… maybe we can go somewhere else. Somewhere safe. Somewhere where none of this matters."

The words felt hollow. A desperate promise whispered into the stillness of the room.

A single tear slipped down my cheek, landing on the back of her hand. I wiped it away quickly, inhaling sharply. I couldn’t afford to be weak. Not now. Not when I was so close.

I squeezed her hand gently, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Just hold on, okay? Just a little longer."

The machines beeped steadily in response, an unchanging rhythm that both comforted and tormented me.