Orrin's POV I walked into the hospital lab with the kind of hollow determination that felt like a bad joke. My chest still stung from the image of Aaliyah with her eyes burning a hole right through me. I’d left the ward raw with anger at Bridget and at myself, and now I needed something concrete to hold on to. Proof. Anything that would give me a chance to be believed.A tech at the reception glanced up, rapped a few keys, and without condescension, informed me they’d be ready for the samples in five minutes. I watched a nurse push a stretcher with wheeled legs through the corridor, her shoes squeaking on tile.“Mr. Hayes?” a young woman in scrubs called when I stepped into the small recessed area reserved for specimen collection. Her name tag read LUCY. She had the professional composure of someone who’d seen everything and been asked to not react to most of it.“Yes,” I said. “Thank you.”She handed me a consent form first. I signed without reading more than the top line. T
Orrin’s POVLisa and I had barely stepped out of the elevator when the faint antiseptic scent of the hospital hit me harder than I expected. The corridor ahead was quiet except for the distant shuffle of nurses’ shoes and the soft beep of some machine in a nearby room.Lisa walked briskly ahead, glancing at the room numbers as we passed. My chest was tight the whole way, not from the walk but from what I was about to face. Aaliyah.My head was throbbing due to the surge of thoughts in and out. Is she okay? I wonder what happened, how it happened. But deep down, guilt clawed at me because it might just be because of me that she ended up here. Because of my foolishness and recklessness.But just maybe, I'll get a chance to explain everything. But that fragile hope sat uneasy in my gut, because what if she wouldn’t even look at me?When we reached the right door, Lisa hesitated just long enough for me to catch the flicker of apprehension in her eyes before she pushed it open.And that’s
Henry’s POV“Leave.”The word was laced with the kind of venom that could cut me in half.I should have expected this reaction. I don't know what made me think just an accident would make her listen to me just once, make her allow me to stay by her side again.The word should’ve been enough to make me walk away.It should’ve been the cue for me to step back, respect her boundaries, and vanish from her line of sight.But I didn’t. I didn't want to.“No,” I said quietly, shaking my head. My voice came out rougher than I intended. “I’m not going anywhere.”Her eyes narrowed a fraction, like she was trying to summon the strength to glare properly, but her exhaustion betrayed her.“I’ll be by your side,” I continued, leaning forward so my words didn’t echo too far beyond us. “Until you’re fine again. Completely fine. And I don’t care what…Orrin Hayes has to say about it.”The moment his name left my lips, her expression hardened like stone. It was subtle but impossible to miss. There was a
Henry's POVThe sound of my phone startled me, dragging my attention away from the half-finished whiskey glass resting in front of me. The bar around me buzzed with quiet chatter and the low hum of music, but my world had been muted lately—dark and unfeeling. Until that phone rang.I blinked at the caller ID; Barbara L.Barbara? It had been a while.I answered, straightening in my seat, my voice gruff. "Hello?""Henry?" Her voice was warm. Familiar. Slightly amused, as if she had expected my surprise."Barbara. Wow. Been a minute. How are you?""I should be asking you that," she laughed gently. "It’s been what? Almost two years since we caught up?”I rubbed the back of my neck. "Something like that. Work's been a mess. Life's been... a mess.""Tell me about it. Hospital shifts never get easier. But hey, I thought about you recently. I didn't even know I still had your number. Just wondering how you’ve been, you know?"I smiled faintly. "Still alive. Right now, I'm trying to figure o
Orrin’s POVEvery muscle in my body screamed with rage. Not just at Bridget, but at myself—mostly at myself. How had I let this happen? How had I been so fucking stupid?What now? My mind was a storm with thoughts crashing against each other.Every second I stood here was a second she was slipping further away with her trust in me fracturing beyond repair. My chest tightened. I glanced back at the woman who had just threatened me with my nude.Bridget was still there, adjusting the sheets with that satisfied smirk that made my skin crawl.“Okay,” I said, swallowing the bile in my throat.“Okay, Bridget. You win. But just… let me go to her.”Her green eyes narrowed, cold and calculating. Her lips pursed as she stepped closer, her voice dripping with venom. “Go to her? Now? You’re kidding me, right? Orrin, I was about to cum.”The words hit like acid, burning through what little control I had left. My stomach twisted, nausea rising as I fought the urge to retch. I didn’t respond—I
Orrin's POVI had never known time could stop.Not in the poetic way people described heartbreak or passion—no, this was real. Palpable. The moment my eyes met Aaliyah’s across the room, and realization hit me like a wrecking ball, time didn’t just slow down—it shattered.The look in her eyes was pure devastation. Betrayal, heartbreak, confusion... it was all there. Raw and Undeniable.She didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to because her face already said it all.My limbs moved without permission as I threw the sheets off and stumbled from the bed. I yanked my pants up with shaking hands, my heart slamming into my ribcage.And then she ran. She was gone before I could even utter a word.The weight in my chest crushed the air from my lungs. Suddenly and slowly, the images in my head hit one after another. The wine. Bridget smiling over the rim of her glass. Her hand brushing mine. The way she leaned closer, asking if I was fine, whispered something I didn’t quite catch. I remembere