Chapter 79
[ 494 words ]
Chapter 79:
She didn’t wait for him to respond. She practically ran down the opposite hallway, desperate to escape his probing eyes.
Julian watched her go. He let out a quiet sigh, knowing she was lying through her teeth.
The next three days passed in a blur of forced normalcy. Caroline went through the motions at the hospital, the adrenaline from the confrontation leaving a persistent, metallic taste in her mouth. Melanie was a ghost, avoiding her entirely, and Julian kept a polite, professional distance. But the peace only amplified the roaring silence from Jarrod’s encrypted channel. The quiet brought no comfort, only a suffocating, agonizing void that gnawed at her with every passing hour. By the time the third night arrived, the tension was unbearable.
A cold, relentless autumn rain hammered against the windows of the sterile, unfamiliar apartment Jarrod had secured for her in Alexandria. The sky was a bruised, depressing gray.
Caroline unlocked her front door and pushed it open. She kicked off her wet shoes and dropped her bag onto the floor, then walked into the living room and collapsed onto the cheap fabric sofa.
For three entire days, Jarrod Romero had completely vanished.
Caroline reached into her bag and pulled out the black satellite phone. She pressed the power button. The screen lit up, showing zero missed calls. Zero messages.
𝖱𝘦𝖺𝖽 𝘸𝗶𝘵𝗁𝗈𝘂t 𝗶n𝗍еr𝗿𝘂𝗉𝘵𝗂𝗈ո𝗌 о𝗇 𝗴𝖺lո𝘰𝘃e𝗅𝘴.сo𝗆
She threw the phone onto the coffee table. It landed with a heavy thud.
She stood up and paced the small living room, rubbing her arms to ward off the chill. She told herself this was a good thing. This was a fake marriage. He was a dangerous, controlling military commander. His absence meant she was safe.
But her body was telling a completely different story.
She walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. As she stripped off her scrubs, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror.
There was a faint, fading bruise just below her jawline, a ghostly reminder of his iron grip in the dark SUV.
Her breath hitched. Her mind instantly flashed back to the dark, armored SUV. The overwhelming smell of cedarwood and gunpowder. The crushing weight of his body pressing her against the leather seat. The violent, possessive heat of his mouth.
A sharp ache bloomed in her chest, stealing her breath.
Caroline turned away from the mirror and stepped under the scalding water. She scrubbed her skin, trying to wash away the phantom sensation of his hands on her waist.
It was a terrifying realization. She was experiencing physical withdrawal. The constant, aggressive presence of Jarrod Romero had rewired her nervous system, and now his absence was driving her insane.
She got out of the shower, pulled on a pair of oversized sweatpants and a worn-out t-shirt, and crawled into bed.
The bed felt massive. It felt empty.
She stared at the ceiling, listening to the rain lash against the glass. The hours dragged on. Ten o’clock. Eleven o’clock. Midnight.
She couldn’t sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his stormy gray eyes.
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