Her gaze searched his face, as if trying to separate reality from nightmare. Slowly, the wild panic in her eyes dulled into something steadier.
“You… you’re really Collin.”
Collin exhaled a quiet breath of relief as the tension in her shoulders eased.
Keeping his movements slow, he extended a hand toward her.
“Linsey, give me the knife,” he said gently. “You’re bleeding-we need to get you patched up.”
His voice was calm, tender. Little by little, her defenses began to crumble.
She never looked away from him, even as he slowly pried the knife from her trembling hands and set it aside.
Just as he was about to call for a nurse, she suddenly lurched forward, throwing herself into his arms.
The words died on his lips. For a moment, he froze, staring blankly at the wall as the warmth of her body pressed against him. His heart pounded so fiercely he could hear it in his ears.
His hand lifted, hesitating in the air-uncertain. He had never comforted anyone like this before. He wasn’t sure he knew how.
Collin stiffened, breath caught, as Linsey burrowed deeper into his embrace. She clung to him like a lifeline, her fingers fisting his shirt as if letting go would send her spiraling back into darkness.
His scent-crisp, clean, familiar-wrapped around her, anchoring her to a reality she had almost lost.
Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, soaking into his shoulder, but she didn’t care.
“I’m alive… I’m really alive,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
Something inside Collin cracked. The raw, broken way she said it-the way she clung to him-cut through his chest like a blade, lodging deep in his heart.
Damn Felix. He wouldn’t get away with this. He would pay-tenfold.
And whoever else had a hand in this? Collin would find them. He would destroy them.
His fists clenched, nails digging into his palms, before he forced himself to relax.
Slowly, he placed a steady hand on Linsey’s back, his voice low and soothing.
“It’s okay. It’s over now.”
Linsey sniffled, hesitating before finally stepping back.
She lifted her gaze to his, searching his steady, unwavering eyes.
“Was it you who saved me?”
Her voice was barely a whisper. Now that the panic had faded, fragments of memory began to return. She vaguely remembered seeing him in that room-just before everything went black.
Collin nodded.
“Yeah.”
Her brows knitted together, confusion flickering across her face.
She traced the edge of the memory, trying to piece together those final moments.
Then her eyes dropped to the wheelchair beside him.
The question escaped before she could stop it.
“But… before I blacked out, I swear I saw you walking toward me. How is that possible?”
Collin hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face.
He had intended to reveal everything to Linsey, but recent events had seeded doubts in his mind. Would learning his secrets place her in greater peril?
Before Collin could reply, Linsey dismissed her suspicions with a chuckle. “I must be seeing things. You’re in a wheelchair-how could you possibly…”
As she spoke, a grimace crossed her face, and she raised a hand to her temple. “My head’s starting to ache a little…”
Reacting swiftly, Collin grasped her hand-the one affected by the IV needle-and called out, “Dominic, could you please come here?” His voice carried to Dominic, who had been watching the unfolding scene from the doorway, amused. “She’s in pain. Could you check on her?”
Dominic entered immediately, assessing Linsey while a nurse tended to her hand where the IV had been placed.
“It’s not serious,” Dominic assured them after a brief examination. “Just a typical side effect of the medication. She’ll be fine with some rest.” He handed a tube of ointment to Collin. “She’s got injuries. Make sure to apply this regularly.”
Collin was taken aback. “Why are you handing this to me?”
Dominic rolled his eyes discreetly, muttering about Collin’s naivete before explaining, “She’s got injuries-some minor, but others, like the ones on her back and arm, are quite severe. Do you expect me to apply the ointment for her? Aren’t you her husband?”
Hearing this, Linsey felt a surge of discomfort. Though they were married, their relationship had remained platonic. Collin had always resisted any assistance with personal tasks, such as removing his shirt, so how could he be expected to help with her wounds?
With this in mind, she reached for the ointment herself, saying, “I’ll take care of it…”
Her abrupt movement aggravated the wound on her arm, causing her to wince in pain and inhale sharply.
The nurse intervened promptly. “We should apply the ointment now. She was too agitated earlier, which likely worsened it. Now that she’s settled, the pain is more noticeable.”
Dominic gave the nurse a discreet thumbs-up for her timely assistance. “We’ll leave you two to it. If you need anything, just press the nurse button,” Dominic advised, patting Collin on the shoulder as he led the nurse out and carefully closed the door behind him.
The room suddenly felt more tense. Linsey glanced at Collin, who remained silent, then made another attempt to reach for the ointment. Collin noticed her gesture and shifted to block her hand. “I’ll handle it. Don’t move.”
His face remained composed as he looked at her and said plainly, “Take off your hospital gown. I’ll apply the ointment.”
Linsey’s cheeks turned a deep shade of red. She stuttered, “That’s… not appropriate…”
Collin, his expression serious, countered, saying, “We’re married. What’s inappropriate about that?”
Linsey bit her lip, her mind wrestling with indecision. Finally, she turned away from him and slowly began to loosen her hospital gown. With a resigned sigh, she lay down on her stomach.
Collin’s eyes briefly traced the curve of her slender waist, causing him to swallow hard for a moment.
However, the sight of the bruises across her back brought him back to reality. One deep wound, in particular, looked freshly aggravated, and her arm was visibly swollen and reddened.
His expression turned grave as he picked up a sterile cotton swab and started to apply the ointment with careful precision.
Linsey felt the cool, tingling sensation of the ointment on her skin.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.