Chapter 8

Kingsley Salvatore

I woke up with Sara's name already in my head.

Damn it, I knew it was weird because she is married.

I lay there staring at the ceiling, with one arm thrown over my eyes, trying to push the image away. It didn’t work. She was there…clear as yesterday.

Those glacier-blue eyes red from crying she tried to hide. The way her voice shook when she talked about how passionate she was about coding , like she was learning in order to set herself free. The quiet way she held that class card like it was the only thing keeping her from falling apart.

I rolled onto my side, sheets twisting around my legs.

She looked so damn distressed and fragile, and completely broken. There was something stubborn under all that pain, something that refused to bend. It reminded me of someone else. Someone from four years ago.

The memory came so sudden, the way it always did when I let myself remember.

I remember the heavy pouring rain, the screeching tires and metal from my car twisting as it crashed into a pole.

I felt pain explode in my ribs, my leg pinned under the dashboard as darkness creeped in fast. I was at the brink of death.

Then I heard a soft and shaky voice. The only voice that pulled from walking into the light

“Stay with me. Please, stay with me.” She said,

Her small hands were on my face, holding my cheeks lightly as she forced me to stay up. Her blonde hair falling forward like a curtain as she leaned over me.

She smelled like rain and vanilla. She kept talking about anything to keep me awake. She told me about her mom’s coffee shop, how she made the best latte in the city. She told me stupid jokes that weren’t even funny, she grabbed my wallet and found my ID, but it was torn.. She could only read the last name…Salvatore….she kept saying the name like she knew me, even though we’d never met.

She stayed with me until the ambulance came. Held my hand the whole ride. When they pulled me out on the stretcher, she was still there trembling and sobbing like we had known each other for years, her clothes were covered in my blood, refusing to let go until they promised I’d be okay.

I remember going on that stupid drive to clear my mind. My girlfriend, ex girlfriend now…Left me for a guy who made millions in a day. She said I didn't deserve her, I would always be coding and never make a thousand in my life. I didn't even tell her I was the heir to the Salvatore fortune, I needed her to love me for me. But I thought wrong.

What was meant to be a simple drive turned to a disaster.

I woke up two days later in the hospital. I could remember the girl who kept me alive, but I had no name or number. There was no single trace of her.

She was gone like she never existed. The doctors said she left the moment I got stable.

I looked for her for months, and asked every nurse. I even checked security cameras. But there was nothing. She vanished like she’d never been there.

And now… Sara walked into my exam room yesterday, soaked in what seemed like pain and stained sauce, and something inside me snapped awake.

They had the same eyes, and the same voice.

The same tiny heart-shaped mole on her left cheekbone….the one I memorized while she held my hand in that ambulance, whispering “You’re going to be okay” over and over.

I sat up from the bed fast, heart pounding..

It couldn’t be. Could it?

I rubbed my face hard, trying to shake the thought.

If it was her…

If Sara M. McCarthy was the girl who dragged my half-dead body out of that wreck and sat with me until help came…

Then why was she living like this? Why was she married to a man who treated her like garbage? Why did she look at me yesterday like she’d never seen me before in her life?

I stood up, walked to the window, stared out at the city waking up below.

I checked the time and it was nearly time for the classes. I freshened up fast and drove to the building to begin the lessons.

******

The classroom was quiet and cold except for the low hum of the air conditioner and the soft scratch of my marker on the whiteboard.

I kept glancing at the clock. 10:07. She was late.

I told myself it didn’t matter. People got held up by anything, maybe traffic, family or whatever. But my eyes kept drifting to the door anyway impatiently.

When it finally opened, she slipped in quietly, like she didn’t want to be noticed. Sara's blonde hair was damp, pulled back in a messy knot, strands clinging to her neck.

She wore a simple pink dress and a sweater so light it looked like it was made of air. Her arms were wrapped around herself, her shoulders hunched against the cold she carried in with her, it was barely freezing but she looked like she had walked out of the freezer.

Kingsley didn't know that Sara was not allowed to grab a warmer jersey by Tom. He said she should reflect on her actions towards Emily.

I set the marker down. “You’re late,” I said, voice calm but firm.

She paused halfway to a seat, eyes flicking up to mine. “I’m sorry. I had… some things to take care of.”

Her voice was small, almost swallowed by the room. She moved to the nearest chair and sat, knees pressed together, hands tucked under her thighs like she was trying to warm them.

I watched her for a second. She looked smaller today, paler and her lips had a faint blue tint.

Then she sneezed several times. Her whole body shivered with it.

I sighed and walked over without thinking, shrugging off my jacket as I went. It was dark gray wool, still warm from my body. I draped it over her shoulders before she could protest.

She froze, eyes wide. “Dr. Salvatore…”

“Kingsley,” I corrected gently. “And keep it on. You’re freezing.”

She clutched the edges of the jacket like she wasn’t sure she was allowed to accept it. “I’m fine. Really.”

“You’re not.” I turned to the door. “Jaden,” I called my assistant in the hallway. “ Kindly bring some hot coffee. Sara, how many sugars would you like?”

Sara started to shake her head. “No, please, you don’t have to….”

“I do,” I said, cutting her off. Not harsh. Just certain. “You’re shivering. You’ll get sick if you don’t warm up. And I need you focused for class.”

She bit her lip, then nodded shyly. “Thank you.”

I sat in the chair beside her, close enough that our knees almost touched. The jacket dwarfed her. She pulled it tighter around herself, breathing in the faint scent of my cologne mixed with the wool.

For a moment neither of us spoke. Then she looked up and our eyes met.

Her glacier-blue gaze locked with mine. Our faces were inches apart. I could see the faint freckles across her nose, the way her lashes trembled slightly. Her breath caught…just a little…and mine did too.

Something shifted in the air between us. I felt what I felt the night I had that accident. I felt electric impulses in my body.

I cleared my throat and stood abruptly, chair scraping back.

“Right,” I said, too loud in the quiet room. “Let’s start.”

Jaden walked in then, carrying a steaming mug. He set it on the desk in front of her with a quick nod and left.

Sara wrapped her hands around the cup, letting the heat sink into her palms. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear nervously, almost like she was shy and hesitated before taking a small sip.

I picked up the marker again, turning to the board.

But my heart was still hammering and I knew she felt it too.

Because when I glanced back, she was staring at the coffee more times than necessary. Her leg was gently tapping the floor like she wanted to shrink.

She was so freakishly cute.

“Damn it Kingsley, she's still married.” I scolded myself.

I gasped when I saw a little spider on her hair, I didn't want to scare her. I quickly approached her and wiped it off her.

‘'What's Wrong? Did I have something on me?” She asked, her eyes stared into mine curiously.

“You had a little spider on your hair.” I said calmly.

“Spider!! I am scared of spiders!” She put the coffee down and jumped right into my arms.

Her small hands wrapped around my thick neck like she was measuring them.

Her chest was heaving.

“I got you… It won't harm you. I am here.” I assured her.

I watched her face light up slightly, she bit her lip..more of a habit. Then thanked me. For a second, she didn't let go.

“I think we should begin…” I said, feeling lost in her eyes.

“Begin what?” She breathed softly, her eyes were hooded like she was under heat.

“The classes….” I smiled, and her cheeks flushed.