Chapter 174
[ 520 words ]
Chapter 174:
She massaged the warm water into the curls. Slowly, the violent shivering began to stop. The dog lifted its heavy head. It leaned forward and pressed its wet, cold nose directly against the inside of Caroline’s wrist.
The tiny, physical gesture of absolute trust hit Caroline like a physical blow to the chest.
Her heart violently contracted. In this massive, multi-million-dollar penthouse, surrounded by armed guards, lies, and the suffocating presence of Jarrod’s control, she was completely isolated. This broken, bleeding animal was the first thing she could pour her genuine emotions into without fear of manipulation.
Bell walked back into the bathroom. He placed a stack of thick white towels and a plastic basin on the counter. He immediately stepped back into the hallway, refusing to cross the threshold.
Caroline grabbed a towel. She wrapped it around the dog, pressing the fabric gently into the fur to absorb the moisture. She carried the dog to the dry corner of the bathroom, away from the shower, and used the remaining towels to build a soft, thick bed on the heated marble floor.
Miles away, in the heart of Georgetown, the rain was still beating against the large glass windows of a high-end French cafe.
Dr. Julian Croft sat alone at a small, round marble table near the window. He was wearing a perfectly tailored navy blazer over a crisp white shirt. Two cups of coffee sat on the table in front of him. They were completely cold.
He stared out at the wet street, checking his watch for the fourth time.
Suddenly, the heavy glass door of the cafe was shoved violently open.
𝗥𝖾а𝖽 f𝗿𝘰𝗺 𝘆𝘰𝘂𝘳 р𝘩оո𝘦 о𝘯 𝗀al𝘯o𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀.𝗰𝘰𝗆
Brenna stormed inside. The hem of her floral dress was splattered with dark street mud. Her hair was frizzy from the humidity. She looked furious.
She marched over to Julian’s table and dropped heavily into the chair across from him. She grabbed the glass of ice water sitting next to the cold coffee and drank half of it in one aggressive gulp. Her chest heaved.
Julian frowned, looking past her shoulder toward the door.
“Where is Caroline?” Julian asked, his voice laced with immediate concern.
Brenna slammed the glass down on the table.
“She is not coming,” Brenna spat, her voice loud enough to make the couple at the next table turn their heads. “You will not believe what she just did. It was completely insane. I mean, I love her, but sometimes she is just completely out of her mind.”
Julian leaned forward, his brow furrowing deeper. “Is she hurt?”
“No, she is just crazy!” Brenna threw her hands up in the air. “We were walking to the theater, and she found this disgusting, bleeding stray dog in a garbage alley. It smelled like death. I told her to call animal control, but she literally took off her sweater, wrapped it around the filthy thing, and got into an Uber. She completely ditched our plans for a ratty street dog!”
Brenna leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. She waited for Julian to agree with her. She expected him to look disgusted, or at least annoyed that Caroline had stood him up.
Instead, Julian stared at her.
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