جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 38

We reached the drop-off zone fifteen minutes later. The airport traffic was a nightmare, but Carson pulled right up to the curb."Call me the second you land," Carson yelled as I opened my door.I slammed the car door shut and ran inside the bustling building. The main terminal was packed with early morning travelers dragging heavy suitcases. I clutched my digital boarding pass and bypassed the massive crowds by ducking into the priority security lane.The TSA agents waved me through the metal detectors without an issue. I grabbed my shoes and my briefcase off the conveyor belt.I sprinted down the long, bright concourse while listening to the final boarding calls echoing over the intercom system."Final boarding call for Flight 892 to Boston at Gate 42," a polite voice announced overhead.My lungs burned, and my high heels ached against the hard floors.I pushed past slow-moving families and ignored the annoyed glares from other travelers. I murmured a few quick apologies when my bri

The pilot engaged the reverse thrusters, and we skidded slightly before finally slowing down to a safe taxi speed. Cheryl let out a shaky breath and immediately pulled her cell phone from her pocket to check her emails.I watched her face drop the second the bright screen illuminated her dark eyes."No, no, no," she whispered, her thumbs flying across the glass screen in a panic."What is the problem?" I asked, unbuckling my seatbelt."The hospital board just canceled all their meetings for the day because the city declared a weather emergency," she explained, her voice cracking with frustration."That means Ben Morgan is stuck waiting in a lobby just like you," I pointed out, gathering my coat from the overhead bin."I cannot afford to be stuck in Boston," she argued, standing up and shoving her papers into her briefcase. "I need to get back to my daughter."Her sudden mention of Mira sent a sharp spike of adrenaline straight through my veins.I clenched my jaw and pushed the rising

I eventually forced myself to turn off the faucet and wrapped a thick white towel around my body.I dried off and put my wrinkled travel clothes back on because my actual luggage was locked away on my grounded jet back home.I unlocked the bathroom door and stepped back out into the quiet bedroom, feeling a little more human but still incredibly on edge.Brian had taken his heavy wool coat off and tossed it over the back of a velvet armchair near the window.He loosened his silk tie and unbuttoned the top of his dress shirt, looking far too comfortable in our shared space."Your turn," I told him without making direct eye contact.He didn't say a word as he walked past me and closed the bathroom door, leaving me alone in the bedroom.I sat down on the very edge of the king-sized mattress and pulled my knees up to my chest.The howling wind outside reached a terrifying pitch and rattled the massive floor-to-ceiling windows.I looked out the glass and watched the thick ice accumulate al

He held me for forty-eight hours and promised he would spend the rest of his life keeping me warm."You were so afraid of the dark back then," he murmured, his voice softening even more. "You wouldn't let go of my shirt."The memory twisted like a rusty knife in my chest, and the sudden urge to cry terrified me.I could not afford to let my walls crack right now, especially not with him.If I let myself remember the good parts of our past, the betrayal would crush me all over again.I thought about Mira, sleeping hundreds of miles away, and the stolen juice box sitting in a lab.I shoved the memories down and let a hot wave of anger take their place."That never happened," I snapped, pulling my arm away from his side."You know damn well it happened, Cheryl," Brian argued, sounding genuinely confused by my harsh reaction."It is all in your head, Brian, so just stop," I warned him, my voice rising in the quiet room."Stop what?""Stop acting like the victim of some great tragedy," I f