Chapter 68
Chapter 68:
“Liam?” I rasped, my voice sounding like gravel grinding together.
Dr. Liam Barber stepped into the room, his white coat stark against his casual jeans. He looked exactly as he had in our college Art History club — kind eyes, messy brown hair, and a smile that didn’t demand anything from me.
“Adella,” Liam breathed, rushing to the bedside. “Azalea told me you were the patient in the penthouse. I didn’t believe her until I saw the chart. God, look at you p>
For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, the tension in my shoulders unspooled. “It’s good to see a friendly face, Liam. I didn’t know you were working at Blackwood p>
“Just started my residency,” he grinned, reaching out to pat my hand. “Remember when we thought the biggest tragedy in life was failing Professor Halloway’s midterms p>
I let out a weak, genuine laugh. It felt foreign on my tongue. “I would take Halloway’s lectures over this any day p>
The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees in a heartbeat.
The air grew thick and heavy, a pressure that made my ears pop. The scent of ozone spiked, sharp and electric, burning the inside of my nose.
Dallas rose from his chair.
He didn’t simply stand — he unfolded, his massive frame casting a shadow that seemed to swallow the light. He moved with the silent, predatory grace of a beast stalking its prey, crossing the distance to the bed in two long strides.
Liam froze, his hand hovering inches from mine. He looked up, his eyes widening as he took in the sheer size of the man looming over him.
𝗨p𝖽a𝗍e𝗌 𝖾𝘷𝖾𝗋𝘆 𝘸𝗲е𝗄 oո
“And who might this be?” Dallas asked. His voice was low, a rumble of thunder trapped in a human chest. It wasn’t a question — it was a challenge.
“I… uh, I’m Dr. Barber,” Liam stammered, straightening his spine in a futile attempt to match Dallas’s presence. He extended a hand. “I’m an old friend of Adella’s from university p>
Dallas stared at the offered hand for a second too long. Then he took it.
I saw Liam wince. The tendons in Dallas’s forearm bulged as he squeezed — a silent, bone-crushing warning that said everything without a word.
“King Marshall,” Dallas said coldly, releasing Liam’s hand just before I heard something snap. “You are here to check her vitals, Doctor. Not to reminisce p>
Liam cradled his hand against his chest, looking between Dallas and me with confusion and dawning fear. “Right. Of course. I just… I didn’t realize you two were—” He looked at me, brow furrowing. “Adella, is everything okay? I know things were complicated with Braydon p>
At the mention of Braydon’s name, a low growl vibrated in Dallas’s chest — a sound so primal it raised the hair on my arms.