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When I opened my eyes, I saw Keith lying beside me. I immediately sat up, my heart racing. I wasn’t expecting him to be here. His hands were cupping mine, and I blinked in confusion.
I tried pulling my hands free, but his grip was tight. “Let go of my hand,” I said, frustration lacing my voice. The sound of my words woke him up, and he quickly let go, standing up awkwardly.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to,” he muttered.
I stared at him, my brows furrowing. I thought I’d heard wrong. Keith? Apologizing? He was never the type to say sorry to anyone, least of all me. Why now?
I didn’t reply. I didn’t have anything to say to him, so I stayed silent, waiting for him to leave. But he didn‘ t. Instead, he sat back down in the chair beside the bed, his expression unreadable.
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“The doctor said you’ll be discharged today,” he said, breaking the silence. “I don’t want you to work for the time being. I want you to get yourself together before you resume.”
I stared at him, stunned by his sudden concern. I shook my head, letting out a bitter laugh. “Keith, I don’t need you to start doing things you don’t normally do. It’s awkward.”
He frowned slightly. “I’m just doing you
a favor.”
“I don’t need your favors,” I shot back, my voice sharper than I intended.
But then my mind wandered to Pa Greg. My heart ached just thinking about him. I looked at Keith and said softly, “If you really want to do me a favor, let me stay beside Pa Greg until he’s well.”
Before Keith could respond, the door swung open. Georgia strolled in like she owned the place, and to my surprise, Noah
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was right behind her.
Georgia’s eyes narrowed the moment she looked at me. “Why do you want to stay beside Pa Greg?” she asked, her voice dripping with venom. “You want to kill him because you didn’t get the chance to do it earlier?” She walked past me and went straight to Keith, her expression softening as she smiled at him.
I sat up straighter, glaring at her. “Keith, you’ve got to believe me here,” I said, desperate to defend myself. “I would never hurt your grandfather.”
Keith turned to look at me, his face calm, his voice quiet. “Okay.”
Before I could say anything else, Noah stepped forward, his tone firm but calm.
“Given your current state, you don’t look okay,” he said, looking at me with concern. “Why don’t you rest and let Keith handle this? He can place able bodyguards outside Pa Greg’s ward. The only people allowed in should be Sally, the
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nurse, and Keith himself.”
The room fell silent for a beat. Keith’s
ra
gaze darkened as he turned to face Noah.
“And who are you to make a decision in a family business?” Keith asked angrily, hist voice cold.
I told Keith it was a good option, and after a moment, he finally accepted. Georgia‘ s face twisted with anger, but she quickly masked it, turning toward Keith with a sweet smile. “Keith, I need to talk to you about something. It‘ s private,” she said softly.
Keith looked at her for a moment, then nodded and followed her out of the ward, leaving me alone with Noah. The silence in the room felt heavy until Noah sat down in the chair Keith had just vacated. He leaned back, his eyes studying me for a moment before he spoke.
“How are you doing?” he asked gently.
I looked at him and gave a small smile.
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“I’m okay,” I replied. Then, after a pause, I added, “Thank you.”
He raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely surprised. “Thank me? For what?”
“For everything you‘ ve done for me,” I said. “We weren’t close before, but you act like I’m some important piece of your life. I don’t get it.”
Noah’s expression softened. He leaned forward, his voice quieter now. “Do you want to get close to me, Eden?”
I blinked, not sure what to say, so I stayed silent. But he continued anyway.
“Because I’d love to know more about you. To be honest, I find you interesting, and I’d like to spend more of my time with you.
I looked away, his words unsettling me in ways I didn’t expect. “You know Keith is my husband,” I said softly, almost as if reminding him.
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“I know,” he admitted. “But I also know
your marriage is a loveless union. You want a divorce, don‘ t you?”
His words hit too close to home, and I looked back at him, unsure of how to respond. Before I could speak, he added,
“I’ll wait for you, Eden. I’ll wait for you after you divorce Keith.”
Before I could process what he had just said, the door opened, and Keith walked back in. His expression was unreadable, but his voice carried an edge that made the
room tense.
“Noah, leave,” he said coldly.
I stared at Keith in surprise. “What? Why?” I asked, but he ignored me.
“Noah, I’m serious,” Keith said firmly. “This will be the last time you visit Eden here. Do you understand me?”
Noah stood up slowly, his jaw tight, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he glanced back at me, gave me a faint smile, and said, “Take
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care of yourself, Eden.”
He walked out of the room, leaving the door open behind him. Georgia appeared in the doorway, a smug smile plastered on her face as she watched Noah leave. I realized then–she had said something to Keith about Noah. Something that wasn‘ true.
“Keith, what did she tell you?” I asked, my voice rising slightly. “Noah is harmless! Why are you acting like this?”
Keith turned to face me, his gaze sharp.
“It doesn’t matter what you think. I’m doing this for your safety,” he said, his tone final.
“My safety?” I repeated, confused and frustrated.
Keith’s voice grew colder. “I’ve already put a restraining order on Noah. You are not to go close to him, and he is not to
come near you. If he does, he’ll spend the night in a jail cell.”
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I stared at him in shock, Georgia’s smile widened ever so slightly, and I realized she had won–for now.
