Wyneth walked forward, leaning slightly on Hayden. As they moved through the bustling hospital, many eyes were drawn to them. Despite wearing a mask, Hayden's handsome features made him stand out. Some, recognizing him, discreetly snapped pictures. Onlookers also noticed a woman tucked inside Hayden's coat with only the hem of a theatrical costume peeking out. Her face, however, remained hidden.'Stage costume? Is she an actress too?'"Are we there yet?" Wyneth, feeling like she had been under Hayden's coat forever without seeing their path, asked, "Why is it taking so long? You sure you know where we're going?"Hayden smiled slightly. "Yeah, we're almost there.""Oh." Wyneth just kept pace with him.It seemed like an eternity before Wyneth heard Hayden say, "We're here."'We're here?' She cautiously peeked from the coat. Everything was silent around them; it looked like they were alone. Hayden quietly watched her as she took in the surroundings. When their eyes locked, she notic

Simeon gave Wyneth a once-over and asked with a grin, "Why did you call me Simo? Do we know each other? I don't remember ever meeting someone as beautiful as you."Wyneth rolled her eyes at his comment. "Where's Hayden?" She quickly changed the subject."He's in one of the hospital rooms," Simeon replied.Wyneth frowned. "He's been admitted?" 'This is serious.'"Yeah, he passed out right after we left," Simeon added.Wyneth's face paled. "Passed out? What happened to him?""He had a stomach bleed." Simeon, now relaxed after Hayden was settled, said, "How do you know me?"Growing impatient, Wyneth asked, "Which room is he in?""I'll take you there," Simeon offered.As Wyneth adjusted her face mask and followed him, Simeon teased, "Do you work for Hayden's company? How do you know him? I've never seen him this close to any woman. Do you like him? Or does he like you?"Wyneth was quickly getting tired of Simeon's chatter."Oh, right, why did you call me Simo?"She sighed. "Sim

"Let go."Distracted, Hayden did not respond right away to Wyneth's gesture for him to let go. He gazed at her, his eyes shadowed with exhaustion."I won't."Wyneth's eyes flashed with impatience. "If you don't let go, I'm going back to the set." Not waiting for a response, she added, "You know what was said earlier. I'm not a doctor. Staying here won't help you."Hayden gave Simeon a resentful look. Caught off guard, Simeon rubbed his chin, trying to decipher the sudden tension. After a moment of hesitation, Hayden finally released his grip."Fine, you two can exchange numbers," Hayden conceded.Wyneth and Simeon quickly shared their contact info. Once they had exchanged numbers, Simeon asked with a grin, "Wyn, are you working at Hayden's company now?""No," Wyneth replied, shaking her head. "I'm not involved with his company."Hayden fixed his gaze on her, a hint of earnestness in his eyes. "Didn't you once ask for my company? I was ready to hand it over."She raised an eyeb

'Nervous?' Wyneth looked at Hayden, trying to grasp what he meant. "Who's nervous?" she shot back, her tone sharp. Pulling her hand away, her face became stern. "I'm here because you're sick, covering for Simo. But when he returns, I'm out of here."Wyneth tried to center herself. 'I can't believe I panicked like that. It took Hayden pointing it out for me to even notice.' She knew she could not go back to how things were before. The last three years had deeply affected her. Just seeing Hayden in bed brought back fears of him not waking up, trapping her in a cycle of endless waiting and dwindling hope. She dreaded those moments, especially when she was alone in the hospital room. Thankfully, she had now snapped out of it.Hayden noticed her reaction to his words. He pressed his lips together as the room returned to silence. Deep sadness settled in Hayden's heart. Though he had hoped his illness would gain her sympathy, receiving it did not lift his spirits. The gap between them seeme

Hayden was covered with three large blankets, which felt really heavy. Wyneth removed the top one, but Hayden quickly said he was still cold. So, she turned up the room's heater. With all the adjustments and the rising warmth, she began to feel hot. She was only wearing her stage outfit, which did not have many layers, so she could not take anything off to cool down. Instead, she fanned her face while standing next to the bed."Still cold? If so, I might need to call a doctor."Hayden took a moment. "I'm better now.""Good to hear."Wyneth started to walk away. From his bed, Hayden watched her, feeling disappointed. 'Why isn't this working?' Hayden texted Simeon about what was happening.Simeon texted back: [Man, Wyn seems a bit out of the loop. If you keep saying you're cold, shouldn't she be snuggling up to you for warmth?]Hayden: [You think with where we're at right now, she'd do that?]Simeon: [Fair point. Guess acting chilly isn't doing the trick.] After a moment, Simeon a