Chapter 466 [ 495 words ] Chapter 466: Caroline fell silent. She replayed the scene in the mess tent in her mind: the fury in his eyes, the violent way he slammed the tray down, his choked question, “Don’t you have anything to say?” It was starting to make a

Chapter 465 [ 517 words ] Chapter 465: Ashley was left standing alone in the doorway, the object of dozens of pitying and mocking stares. The humiliation was a physical thing, a hot flush that spread up her neck and across her face. Evelyn hurried to catch up with Caroline

Chapter 464 [ 516 words ] Chapter 464: She ignored them. With a steady hand, she picked up her spoon and took a bite of the lukewarm stew. She chewed slowly, deliberately, her gaze fixed on the opposite wall. Her utter lack of reaction, her refusal to appear flustered or

Chapter 463 [ 493 words ] Chapter 463: He ignored the offering, his eyes boring into her. The silence stretched, thick and suffocating. It was more menacing than any shouting. “Don’t you have anything to say?” he finally bit out, his voice a low, dangerous rasp. She looked up at

Chapter 462 [ 489 words ] Chapter 462: She snatched her hand back as though the brace had burned her. “Show some respect, Nurse Wright,” he said. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was dangerously cold, carrying across the sudden hush that had fallen over the nearby tables. “You were

Chapter 461 [ 523 words ] Chapter 461: Sal glanced once at the heavy brace locking Jarrod’s right arm against his chest and the splinted, swollen fingers of his left hand, then wisely said nothing. He set a cardboard meal carrier on the counter and began fitting the bowls into

Chapter 460 [ 499 words ] Chapter 460: He didn’t pull his hand away, but he didn’t respond either. After a long moment, his thumb moved, tracing a slow, absentminded circle on the back of her hand. “I can’t just do nothing,” she continued, trying to make him understand. “I

Chapter 459 [ 545 words ] Chapter 459: Jarrod’s jaw flexed. The old command habit in him wanted someone to blame, something to order, a problem he could crush flat beneath his boot. But there was no rubble here, no enemy line, no clean target. There was only Caroline, pale

Chapter 458 [ 498 words ] Chapter 458: But she didn’t. Her shoulder struck the metal shelving with a dull clang, and Brenna, who had been watching her too closely to be fooled by her composure, lunged across the aisle and caught her under the arm. Dr. Croft was there

Chapter 457 [ 486 words ] Chapter 457: Without another moment of hesitation, she swung her legs off the cot. She found her own dust-covered scrubs folded neatly on a crate. She pulled them on, the familiar fabric a comfort, a uniform of purpose. She took a deep breath, pushed

Chapter 456 [ 495 words ] Chapter 456: The heat between them built quickly, the quiet intimacy of the morning fanning the embers of their connection into a flame. Just as his left forearm shifted along the blanket near her waist, clumsy rather than controlled, a sharp, urgent voice cut

Chapter 455 [ 505 words ] Chapter 455: He kicked off his dusty combat boots, the thud loud in the quiet tent. Without removing the rest of his uniform, he stretched out on his side, facing her. He made no move to touch her, no attempt at intimacy. He simply

Chapter 454 [ 492 words ] Chapter 454: “I’m exhausted, Jarrod,” she cut him off, her voice raw. She used the simplest, most undeniable truth as her first line of defense. “I feel like my bones are made of glass.” Her voice softened, shifting from defense to an appeal. “And

Chapter 453 [ 515 words ] Chapter 453: He lowered his head, his mouth aiming for hers, a clear attempt to silence her with a kiss, to re-establish his ownership in the most primitive way possible. But she turned her head, and his lips met her cheek. The rejection, small

Chapter 452 [ 605 words ] Chapter 452: A hand, cold and invisible, squeezed Caroline’s heart. The air in her lungs turned to ice. She had been focused on her own survival, on Sterling’s life, on the fear and the darkness. She never once considered the agony he must have

Chapter 451 [ 430 words ] Chapter 451: Brenna’s eyes lit up with understanding. “Oh my god. That’s it, isn’t it? You’ve been marked.” Caroline didn’t deny it. She looked down at the food Jarrod had brought her and took a small bite, unable to suppress the faint, secret smile

Chapter 450 [ 522 words ] Chapter 450: He looked down at her, at her soft, imploring eyes, and his resolve relaxed a fraction. He was still furious at the interruption, but he couldn’t deny her. He set the tray down on the bedside table with his good hand, his

Chapter 449 [ 490 words ] Chapter 449: When he finally broke the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers, both of them breathing hard. “When we get back, you’re not going anywhere. You’re staying home.” The long kiss had drained the last of her energy. Her body felt weak,

Chapter 448 [ 558 words ] Chapter 448: Jarrod winced as her sudden movement sent a sharp, electric shock of pain through his shoulder, his splinted right arm forced to remain rigid against his side. He could not return her embrace with both arms, but he moved his functional hand

Chapter 447 [ 462 words ] Chapter 447: Ashley flinched as if struck. “I-I’m the nurse,” she stammered. “I was bringing broth. For when she wakes up.” He didn’t rise, but the intensity of his glare alone seemed to pin her to the spot. “Leave it. And get out. The