Chapter Fourteen: When Protection Becomes Sin

The word suspended echoed in Iris’s head long after the screen went dark.

She stood frozen in the corridor while the hospital continued moving around her, footsteps rushing past, monitors beeping, lives being saved as if hers hadn’t just quietly unraveled.

Nathaniel was already moving.

“Everyone out,” he said sharply, his voice cutting through the nurses’ station like a blade. “Now.”

A few people hesitated. One nurse looked at Selena for approval.

Nathaniel slammed his hand on the counter. “I said out.”

They scattered.

Selena remained, perfectly calm, arms folded, lips curved in a faint, satisfied smile.

“You’re overreacting,” she said. “It’s a temporary measure.”

“You falsified a review,” Nathaniel snapped. “You bypassed protocol.”

“I used influence,” she corrected. “The same influence your family benefits from every day.”

Iris swallowed, her nails biting into her palm. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Selena finally turned to her, eyes sharp and cold. “You did. You existed where you shouldn’t.”

Nathaniel stepped in front of Iris, shielding her fully now. “You’re done.”

Selena’s smile thinned. “Careful, Nathaniel. You’re already on thin ice.”

“I don’t care.”

That made Selena laugh softly. “You will.”

She walked away in heels that clicked like countdowns.

Nathaniel didn’t wait.

He took Iris straight to his office, locking the door behind them. The moment it clicked shut, the control he’d been holding onto cracked.

“This is my fault,” he said, dragging a hand through his hair. “I should have ended things with her properly months ago.”

Iris shook her head, tears blurring her vision. “I don’t want to be the reason”

“You’re not,” he cut in firmly. “You are not a mistake.”

She looked up at him then, really looked at him. The lines of stress around his eyes. The anger barely contained in his body. The way his gaze softened only when it found her.

“Then why does it feel like I’m being punished?” she whispered.

Nathaniel crossed the room in two strides. He stopped inches away from her, hands clenched at his sides as if touching her would undo him completely.

“Because she knows,” he said quietly. “She knows I feel something I’ve never felt before. And she’s terrified of losing control.”

Iris’s breath hitched. “And you?”

“I already lost it,” he admitted.

The room grew unbearably hot.

She could feel his presence everywhere, in the air, in the silence, in the way her body leaned toward him without permission. Her pulse thundered so loudly she was sure he could hear it.

“Nathaniel…” she murmured.

He lifted his hand, stopping just short of her face. “If I touch you now, I won’t stop.”

Her lips parted. “Then don’t stop.”

The restraint snapped.

His mouth crashed against hers, rougher than before, hungrier. This kiss wasn’t about curiosity or denial. It was about need. About months of pressure finally breaking loose.

Iris gasped as he backed her against the desk, his body caging her in. His hand slid to her waist, gripping tightly, grounding himself while everything else spiraled out of control. She felt his breath against her neck, hot and uneven.

“This is wrong,” he breathed against her skin.

“Yes,” she whispered. “But it feels right.”

He groaned softly, forehead resting against hers as if he were fighting himself. His hand slid higher, fingers brushing her ribs, sending shivers racing through her.

Then reality slammed back in.

He pulled away abruptly, chest heaving.

“No,” he said hoarsely. “Not like this. Not while your future is on the line.”

Tears burned Iris’s eyes. “So what happens now?”

Nathaniel cupped her face gently, thumbs wiping away the tears before they could fall. “Now I fix this.”

“How?”

“I go to the board,” he said. “I expose her influence. I risk everything if I have to.”

“And if they don’t believe you?”

“Then I walk.”

Her heart stuttered. “You’d leave the hospital?”

“For you,” he said without hesitation. “Yes.”

A knock hit the door.

They froze.

Nathaniel straightened, mask sliding back into place as he unlocked it.

A senior administrator stood there, face tight. “Doctor Hale. The board wants to see you. Immediately.”

Nathaniel glanced at Iris, his gaze lingering.

“Wait here,” he said softly. “No matter what happens.”

As he followed the administrator down the hall, Iris sank into the chair, shaking.

Minutes passed. Then twenty.

Her phone buzzed.

Unknown number.

You think he’ll choose you?

Her stomach dropped.

Another message followed.

He always chooses power.

Before she could respond, the office door opened.

Nathaniel stepped in.

His face was unreadable.

“Iris,” he said quietly. “We need to talk.”

Her heart slammed painfully against her ribs.

“What did they say?”

He closed the door behind him.

“They gave me a choice.”

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