LOGINHAZEL POVI stared at him, my heart beating so fast I could hear it in my ears. I had imagined Killian saying a lot of things to me, but never this. Not after everything he had done to me. Not after all the times I had convinced myself that he was the last person I would ever want in my life.“Killian…” I swallowed. “I can’t.”His eyes searched mine for a moment. I could see the disappointment flash across his face, but surprisingly, he didn’t get angry.“Okay.”I blinked. “Okay?”He nodded, leaning back slightly. “Okay.”“That’s it?”“What do you want me to do?” A small smile tugged at his lips. “Beg?”“No.” I shook my head.I looked down at my hands, suddenly feeling guilty. I had expected him to argue, to tell me I was wrong, or maybe even threaten me like he usually did. Instead, he just accepted my answer.“I’m sorry.” I didn’t even know why I was apologizing.“Don’t be sorry for telling me how you feel.” His voice was calm. “You don’t owe me a yes just because I told you how I f
KILLIAN POVSomething was wrong. The way the doctor looked at me made my stomach twist.“What’s wrong?” I asked, my voice coming out rough. “How is Hazel?”The doctor sighed and pulled off his gloves. “She’s fine, Mr. Blackwood. There’s no major damage. The cut on her head wasn’t as bad as it looked, and thankfully, there’s no sign of a serious brain injury.”I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Then why do you look like that?”“She lost consciousness from the impact, so we’re keeping her overnight for observation. She needs plenty of rest, and we’ll need to monitor her for any changes.”“Can I see her?”The doctor nodded. “Yes, but keep it quiet. She needs to rest.”I nodded, already moving toward the emergency doors.“Mr. Blackwood?”I stopped and looked back.“Try not to overwhelm her when she wakes up.”I almost laughed. Overwhelm her? I just wanted to see her breathing with my own eyes.HAZEL POVThe first thing I noticed was the beeping.It was steady and irritati
KILLIAN POVI had never been afraid of blood until it was hers. “Somebody help her!”The emergency doors swung open as I carried Hazel inside, her blood soaking through my shirt and dripping onto the hospital floor.“She’s unconscious. She hit her head.”Nurses rushed toward me, trying to take her from my arms. I didn’t let go.“Sir, you need to put her down.”“She’s not waking up.” My voice sounded nothing like mine.“I know. That’s why you need to let us treat her.”I looked down at Hazel’s face. She was too pale. Too still. “Don’t you fucking die on me, Hazel.”The nurses finally managed to pull her from my arms. I stood there, frozen, watching them wheel her through the emergency doors.“Sir, you need to wait here.”Wait! How the fuck was I supposed to wait? There was blood on my hands. Her blood. I looked down at them, flexing my fingers as if that would somehow make the image disappear. It didn’t.“What’s your name, sir? And your relationship with the patient?”I looked up. A nu
KILLIAN POVStaring at the couch that Hazel was just sitting on, I downed the scotch in my hand. I can’t get the hurt on her face out of my mind. Emotions I’ve never felt before bombarded me. I wanted to just hold her and tell her and whisper how I feel for her in her ears, to make her see that I’m crazy about her. I just fucking want to protect her. But I keep fucking it up because of my issues.The buzz of my phone snaps me out of my thoughts. I picked it up to see Mitch calling.“Got any news yet?”“Yes, kid. The person that sent the parcel goes by the name Lilian Bennett.” There was a brief silence before he spoke again. “I traced it back to London. The kid went to the same school you and Hazel did.”I stood up and went outside. Hazel could be awake, and I don’t want any misunderstanding until I know the truth.“What?”“That’s it, kid. She and Hazel were classmates. I tried to find out more about her, but that’s it. There’s no connection whatsoever that a name like that is in Lega
HAZEL POV“My mother was the only one who would beg my father to let me go. She would lie outside that door and talk to me all night to make sure I was okay. I never answered her. I liked it in there. No noise, no people,” he shrugged. “My brother and I were never on the same page because he wanted to impress my dad, so he never spoke against what he did.”“Killian, I’m so sorry.”“Don’t be, Hazel. It shaped me to be who I am today. Yes, I always wanted his approval somehow in my teenage years. It made me do things…” He cut off whatever he wanted to say.“It’s okay if you don’t want to share those memories.” I saw a flicker of guilt in his eyes, but he masked it.“What about your mum? I assume you spend the holiday with her?”He scoffed, picked up his drink, and took a sip.“She hates me. Said I’m mentally unstable because I beat their favorite son to a pulp.”“What? Why would you do that?”“He said some shit I didn’t like, so…” He tutted.I had not met his brother, and I didn’t know
HAZEL POV“How was your holiday?” Killian asked while he poured himself a drink.“An asshole spoiled it by showing up.” I picked up the water and downed it.He smirked and took a sip of his drink. “Well, it got you to return back to school.”“I wouldn’t have had to think of transferring if it wasn’t for you,” I shot back.He looked at me for a long time before he spoke. “I’m sorry for showing up at your doorstep, given our history.”That got me looking up at him. “What did you say?” I asked in a low voice.“You heard me, Hazel. But I’m not sorry for wanting you to come back. I might be an asshole, but I wouldn’t want you to quit college because of me. I can tell you put in a lot of work getting here.”My poor heart skipped a beat. I didn’t know what to say. He seemed different somehow—he was still an asshole, but there was something about him that was just different.“You don’t like the food?”“Huh?”“You have not taken a bite of it.” He motioned to the food.I looked down at the plat







