Her Stubbornness

(Adam's POV)

The car stopped in front of my house—a modest, modern house that stood tall against the city's mess.

As the gates opened, I got out of the car carrying Merina in my arms. She was lighter than I had thought, with her pale and fragile body that looked like it would break if I tightened my hand.

I scowled, how could she who had shoved me with such force last night, now looked as though the slightest wind could topple her?

My assistant Sean waited by the door, his expression was wary, though he wisely didn't ask questions. He knew better.

He bowed slightly, "All is in order, sir. The doctor will arrive shortly," he said, his voice even.

"Good," I said coldly, not looking at him. "Keep everyone else out of sight."

He opened the door for me, and I carried Merina in, my arms instinctively tightening around her.

The house was quiet, the usual staff gone, leaving only the butler and a couple of attendants. As I went up the stairs to the guest bedroom, my footsteps echoed elegantly.

I entered the room which was well-prepared, just as I had ordered it to be. I did a quick survey of the place just to ensure all was well, and I felt assured.

Soft whites and mute tones were its theme, so things stayed calm, quite the opposite of what was going on inside me—that is, I was not calm then.

I laid Merina carefully on the bed and pulled the blanket over her. Stepping back a little, I studied her for a moment. She lay there still not awake, breathing lightly with a face looking sick at the same time.

Before long, there was a doctor. The middle-aged woman went about attending Marina, checking her carefully as I watched beside her.

Her face was impassive whilst she worked, so I couldn't read anything from her face, and when she was done, she turned to me.

"Mr Adams, the patient is in a delicate state," the doctor began.

"She has a mid-stage brain tumor. Surgery is the best option, but right now, she's too weak. Her body wouldn't survive the procedure in this condition."

I felt a pang in my chest, but I didn't show it. "What do we do, then?"

"She needs time to recover. Physically, her condition is bad. But mentally… she's even worse. She's lost hope, Mr. Nart. According to what you have explained. That's the real battle here."

I nodded, my jaw tightening. "Whatever it takes. She'll have the best care, no matter the cost.".

The doctor nodded curtly at me and went out. “I will research a treatment plan.”

I nodded at her words, watched her pack her things, and left.

When she was gone, I sat back in the chair beside the window, still watching Merina but keeping a safe distance from her. I really don't know why I kept sitting there with her.

Probably it was just because she looked so defenseless that it seemed she had the world weighing her down, even in sleep.

*****************************

Morning brought mellow sunshine pouring into the room. I heard a very soft rustle of movement and turned. Merina lay dozing. I saw her eyes flicker open. She blinked at the ceiling, then slowly sat up, moving slowly.

Her gaze traveled round the strange room, finally coming to rest on me. She looked shocked, then She frowned, looking troubled. "Where am I?" she asked in a husky voice.

I slumped back onto the couch, "My place," I stated flatly.

Her eyes narrowed. "Why am I here?"

“You passed out. I wasn't about to leave you in the street,” I said, leaning my back on the couch as I knew a fight was coming.

And true to it, her expression darkened. “I don’t need your help. I’ll leave now.” She said coldly then She threw the blanket off and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, but as soon as she tried to stand, her knees shook.

My body instinctively wanted to rise and help her, but I remained seated, watching as she wobbled. "You're too weak. Sit down before you embarrass yourself."

She flashed me a scowl but braced herself against the wall. "I'm fine," she bit out, taking a shaky step forward.

When she swayed again and almost fell, I finally rose, catching her by the arm. "Fine, huh?" I muttered.

"Let go of me!" she barked, jerking her arm free.

I crossed my arms, barring the door. "Go ahead, leave. But you'll fall down before you even get out of the house."

She lurched toward the door anyway, determined but clearly unstable. I sighed and stepped in front of her. "You're not going anywhere," I said brusquely.

She scowled at me, peeved, "And who are you to—"

My lips twitched at her indignant expression, "The one who just stopped you from making your condition worse," I interrupted. "Sit down."

"No."

I frowned at her stubbornness, then leaned down a little, my voice low and even. "If you take one more step, I'll break your leg."

Her eyes widened, her mouth falling open in shock. "You wouldn't—"

I raised my eyebrow, "Try me," I said, my tone as even as before.

She looked up at me, silently, for a long moment, torn between incredulity and outrage. Finally, she huffed and turned toward the bed, plopping herself down.

"This is kidnapping, you know," she muttered as she sat.

I raised an eyebrow. "If I wanted to kidnap you, I'd pick someone less troublesome," I said with a smirk.

She glared at me, but her body slumped with exhaustion. She was too weak to fight anymore. But the fire in her eyes told me she wasn't surrendering yet.

Her hands clenched the blanket tightly as she leaned back against the pillows. "Why are you doing this? We are just strangers," she asked quietly, her voice cracking.

"Because you're a mess," I said bluntly. "And if you keep going like this, you'll only make it worse. I don't care if you hate me for it, but I'm not letting you destroy yourself."

She let out a harsh laugh, her expression hard. "You don't care about me. You don't even know me."

I shrugged. "Maybe not. But I'm still not letting you leave."

Her lips trembled, but she quickly turned away, forcing whatever had flared up on her face back into hiding. She stared out the window now, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't have any hope left, Sir. I don't have anything. So if you need something from me, I have nothing to offer.".

I laughed but did not answer directly.

I strode to the door, turning once to look at her before speaking. "Then take mine. Till you find your own. Besides—Call me Adams!"

Her bewildered voice came, "Huh?"

I did not give her an explanation, opening the door and closing it behind me.

Now Alone in the hall, I leaned back against the wall and slowly exhaled. She was stubborn, difficult, and obviously not ready to let anyone in. That was okay.

I wasn't going to give her a choice.