Chapter 4:

Skylar

When my eyes fluttered open again, I let out a soft groan.

I blinked slowly, trying to adjust to the dim lighting. The first thing I noticed was how unnaturally quiet the room was. No beeping machines, no rushed footsteps echoing down hallways, no sterile hospital smell.

Instead, a rich and expensive scent lingered heavily in the air, polished wood mixed with something faintly cold and masculine, like expensive cologne layered over rain.

My brows pulled together in confusion.

This wasn’t the hospital. But it wasn’t my home either.

I swallowed hard and forced myself to sit up slightly. That was when I realized I was wearing a soft silk robe that definitely wasn’t mine. My eyes widened. I looked around the room properly now. It was huge, luxurious in a way that felt almost suffocating. Soft lighting, dark elegant furniture, thick clean sheets that probably cost more than everything I owned.

My heart started beating faster.

Where was I?

Just then, the door clicked open with a quiet, deliberate sound.

“You’re awake.”

The deep voice broke the silence. I froze instantly. My head turned sharply toward the sound, but my vision was still slightly blurry. I saw the silhouette of a tall man first. Then came the slow, measured footsteps as he stepped further into the room.

His presence alone made the large space feel like it was closing in on me.

I rubbed my temples, trying desperately to clear my vision. As the fog lifted, I finally saw him properly. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair and a face that looked like it had been carved to perfection.

My breath hitched. Fear and confusion twisted together in my chest.

“W-who are you?” I asked, my voice coming out shaky and weak.

The man paused near the foot of the bed. His gaze stayed fixed on me, steady and unreadable, like he was studying an object.

“You’re asking the wrong question,” he said calmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

I frowned, the haze in my head making everything feel slow and heavy. “What…?”

I tried to push myself up further, but a strong wave of dizziness hit me. The room tilted violently. Before I could steady myself, his hand moved, pressing lightly but firmly against my shoulder, guiding me back down to the pillows.

“Stay where you are.”

The command was quiet, yet it carried absolute finality. His touch lingered for a moment longer than necessary. Something about the way he spoke and the steady pressure of his hand made my heart race in a strange, unsettling way.

It wasn’t just fear. There was something else, a weird sense of familiarity that made no sense at all. Like my body had heard that tone before, even though I was certain I had never met this man.

He slowly withdrew his hand, but he didn’t step back far. His presence remained close.

“What you should be asking,” he continued, his voice low, “is how you’re going to pay for the damage you caused.”

My brows pulled together. “Damage…?”

He let the silence stretch between us, watching me struggle to comprehend.

“You damaged my car.” he said calmly.

I blinked slowly, my mind still foggy. “I… what?”

My breath hitched.

The memories came back in broken flashes.

Rain pouring heavily against the windshield. Tires screeching violently against the wet road.

Blinding headlights breaking through the storm seconds before the impact.

Oh God.

The car I hit… was his.

“Twenty-five thousand dollars." He added.

I stared at him.

“That’s… just for the damage?”

The words barely left my mouth. I had never even seen that kind of money before.

“That doesn’t…” I started, but the words felt useless in my mouth.

He tilted his head slightly, eyes never leaving my face. “Cullinan Black Badge.”

He said it so simply, that it stole whatever strength I had left. No details about what exactly got damaged in the accident. Just the debt.

My hands trembled against the sheets. I swung the blanket off slightly, my legs shaky as I tried to find my balance on the edge of the bed.

“I… I need to go,” I said quickly, my voice cracking. “Thank you for helping me, but I can’t stay here. I really can’t.”

He didn’t stop me with force. Instead, he simply shifted once, just enough that leaving the room would mean walking directly past him. The movement was smooth, but it made the air feel heavier. Like he had already decided I wasn’t going anywhere yet.

“Go where?” he asked, his tone completely unchanged.

“Anywhere,” I whispered, my voice shaking badly now. “Just… anywhere but here.”

His expression didn’t change. Not even a flicker. Then he spoke again.

“Your husband already left you in that hospital bed and walked away.”

My entire body went still. The room seemed to tilt again, but this time it had nothing to do with dizziness.

“How… how do you know that?” I whispered, barely able to get the words out.

He didn’t answer. He never seemed to feel the need to explain himself.

Instead, he stepped a little closer, close enough that I could feel the shift in the air around us.

“Before you go anywhere,” he said, voice low and final, “you’re going to deal with what you owe me.”

My fingers curled tightly into the blanket. My mind felt broken, slow, overwhelmed by everything that had happened in one terrible night.

Just then, a soft knock echoed through the room.

The door opened and a slim, elegant woman stepped inside.

“Mr. Blackwood,” she said politely, bowing her head slightly. “Your schedule is ready.”

The name hit me like a physical blow.

Mr. Blackwood.

At first the name didn’t fully register. Then it did...

Blackwood.

That name wasn’t new to me. It was the same name that had destroyed my life. The name that had forced me to drop out of college, marry a man I barely knew, and shrink myself until I almost disappeared.

The name that had taken everything from me.

My blood ran cold. My fingers went numb against the sheets.

I slowly lifted my gaze back to the man standing in front of me. He gave the woman a small, indifferent nod, completely unfazed by her presence.

He was a Blackwood?...