Lucian's severe expression worried Calista. She set the container aside and pulled the curtains shut."What's wrong? Does your leg hurt?"He suffered from a broken leg. His left calf was in a particularly severe state. It was a comminuted fracture that put him in a cast. A few of his ribs were cracked too."Yeah," he replied.When Calista reached out to touch it, it was hard to the touch. She wasn't a professional. She was unsure if the pain was normal after surgery."I'll call for a doctor to check on you …"She reached for the call bell by his bedside. But, before she could touch it, Lucian grabbed her by her waist. He rested his palm against her lower back and pulled her close.She was worried about accidentally falling on him and making his injuries worse. So, when she noticed what Lucian was trying to do, she went along with it and sat down at the edge of the bed. The man held her by her wrist rather than her hand. Calista had welts on her hand. They weren't deep and had
Calista stared at him and blinked slowly. Lucian had tubes inserted when he was wheeled into the ICU yesterday. It was only after she signed the papers today that he was transferred to a regular ward. He had been unconscious then. When he woke up, the nurses only came in to measure his temperature and blood pressure. Lucian hadn't shown any signs that he needed the restroom. So, she didn't pay much attention to it.When had the catheter been removed?Seeing her confusion, Lucian openly admitted, "It was when you went downstairs to get takeout."Calista was at a loss for words.Selena was unaware of what was going on between the two. All she knew was that Lucian needed to go to the bathroom. She had asked about his condition at the nurse's station moments ago. He had a moderate concussion, fractures in both legs, rib fractures, and mild internal injuries. Each of these conditions frightened her.She had no experience in taking care of severely injured patients. What was she s
The wheelchair-bound man looked up at Calista. The lights above him reflected in his dark pupils. Gone was the ferocity in his eyes. Lucian had a bandage around his head with bloodstains down his neck. His leg was also in a cast. The sight presented an image of suffering. Calista wasn't angry to begin with. Even if she were, seeing him in this state would only tamp her anger."I'm not angry."Lucian raised a brow."Really? But you haven't spoken to me for over an hour."He was taken aback at first. Then, a wave of grievance crashed over him. His emotions were on full display, making it easy to grasp his current state of mind.He was a person who could smoothly navigate the business field full of scheming men. How could he openly express his emotions? It had nothing to do with who he was speaking to. Rather, it was a habit deeply ingrained in him. Lucian acting this way was intentional.Calista didn't respond. She turned the faucet to hot water. While waiting for the water t
Lucian smiled purposefully."She wanted me to put in more effort."Nothing quite like mending a relationship with a child in the mix."Huh?" Calista expressed her confusion.Seeing how Lucian had no intention of elaborating, she didn't bother to pry. After everything was packed up, Calista wheeled him to the single-bed ward. The nurse who came to conduct routine checks was already at the door. So, she followed them. The bed in the ward was also three feet, except it also came with an extra cot for chaperones.Seeing how Lucian's gaze shifted between the two beds, the nurse rattled off routinely, "The beds cannot be moved. You cannot merge them into one bed."Calista said nothing. She didn't know if it was just her imagination but she had a feeling that the nurse was glancing at her lips out of the corner of her eye.The nurse left after measuring his temperature and blood pressure. Before she did, she reminded them. "Do not lock the door."Calista hadn't had much sleep last
The lack of oxygen left Calista's mind blank. His words had her asking, "What?"Lucian said nothing. He propped his hands against the bed and showed her what he meant by his actions.Calista was startled. Who would've thought that a patient who had just been released from the ICU this morning would be so agile? He was climbing around like a primate. She was worried that his ribs would break before the injuries in his legs healed.Lucian had become more proficient at climbing in and out of bed after the experience from previous attempts. He was already sitting on her bed before Calista could utter a word to reprimand him.Trying to accommodate two adults on a three-foot-wide bed, especially when one of them was a tall man, was quite the challenge. It was probably due to his weight that the bed creaked with every move. Calista was worried that the noise might be heard by people passing through the corridor outside. She couldn't afford to be disgraced because of this man.Just as
Calista's gaze slid down from the frown on Lucian's face, passing over his throat as he swallowed. Then, she watched the rapid rise and fall of his chest before her attention was directed to a certain area.He was turned slightly on his side. So, nothing obvious could be seen. However, it was clear that he was not having a good time with how raspy his voice had become. Calista raised a brow at him triumphantly."Your legs are broken. But, sure. Keep playing the tough guy. Serves you right. You'll just have to put up with it."Then, she went straight to the adjacent bed, lifted the covers, and climbed in. Once she was comfortably lying down, she switched off the lights.Lucian had just laid in this bed. His scent continued to cling to the sheets. When her face touched the pillow, his smell filled her senses. It was reassuring.The brightly-lit ward suddenly plunged into darkness. The fluorescent lights from the corridor seeped in through the glass window on the door, illuminating a
Lucian shot Calista a look that seemed to signal for her to ignore Christina because she was out of her mind. Calista was at a loss for words.While the pair kept their composure, Hector was much less calm. He was choking on air as he spoke in a disjointed manner, "What did you just call her?"Christina had spoken a little too hastily and made a joke about Calista being someone she sponged off of. Things quickly grew awkward with the three pairs of eyes scrutinizing her. If she tried to cover it up, however, it might lead to misunderstandings. She couldn't afford to ruin her financial backer's marriage. Otherwise, the Grey Group would be wiped off the map in Capeton.Since there was no way out of this, Christina had no choice but to tell the truth. She pointed to the bed where Lucian was lying."Mr. Northwood will soon be the Grey Group's partner. In this day and age, anyone who invests would be a sugar daddy."She then pointed at Calista."You're Mr. Northwood's wife. That mak
Calista pulled down the collar of her sweater and pointed at the red marks on her skin. They were all courtesy of Lucian from the night before. "Are you trying to imply that you're not stewing in dirty thoughts all the time?"Lucian thought she was laying the blame on a little thick. They were husband and wife. All he did was kiss her. What did it have to do with his dirty thoughts?"I'm a perfectly normal man. Isn't it normal to have urges and desires for the woman I love?" Calista rolled her eyes. Her earlobes flushed a faint shade of red."You should reign your urges in even if you have desires.""It's … not something I can just control," Lucian said.Otherwise, there wouldn't be a saying floating around claiming that men were animals who think with their lower halves."Who says you can't?" Calista's raised brow paired with the amused glint in her eyes clued Lucian in that he was not going to like what she was going to say next. He was about to change the topic when th