Chapter 472
[ 527 words ]
Chapter 472:
And then she saw them. A constellation of dark, purplish marks bloomed across the pale skin of her neck and just below her collarbone. They were stark, deliberate, and screamed of ownership. Her face exploded in a hot flush. That man. He had done this on purpose.
A glance at her watch sent a jolt of panic through her. She was late. She had completely slept through her alarm. Cursing him under her breath, she scrambled out of the cot, her body aching with every movement. She threw on her clothes, the frantic energy of being late overriding the lingering soreness.
She burst into the main medical area, breathless. Evelyn and Brenna were already there, organizing supplies for the day.
“I’m so sorry,” she panted. “I’m late.”
Evelyn Reed waved a dismissive hand, a wide, knowing grin spreading across her face. “Don’t worry about it. We figured you were… ‘busy.’ You’re the Colonel’s wife, after all.”
The casual teasing sent a fresh wave of heat up Caroline’s neck. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she muttered, trying to sound nonchalant. “I was just tired. I overslept.”
Evelyn leaned closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Really? Just ‘tired’?” Her eyes darted meaningfully toward Caroline’s neck.
𝖱𝗈𝗆𝖺n𝘤𝖾 𝗮𝘯d paѕs𝗶о𝗻 o𝘯 𝗴а𝘭𝘯𝗈𝘷𝗲𝗹ѕ.c𝘰m
Caroline’s hand flew to her collar at once. She knew exactly what Evelyn was looking at. She had seen the marks herself less than ten minutes ago in the small hand mirror from her supply kit, and the memory still made her want to crawl under the nearest cot and stay there until the war ended.
Seeing the look of doomed recognition on Caroline’s face, Evelyn let out a soft laugh. “So you do know.”
“Unfortunately,” Caroline said through her teeth, tugging the V-neck of her scrubs higher. “And if you enjoy breathing, Dr. Reed, you will lower your voice.”
Evelyn’s grin widened as she watched the horror sharpen on Caroline’s face. “Looks like the Colonel’s passion burns hotter than the California sun.”
Caroline’s hands flew to her collar again, frantically trying to pull the V-neck of her scrubs higher. It was useless. The marks were too low, too blatant.
“I need to find a scarf,” she mumbled, already turning to leave, to find anything to cover herself with.
Evelyn caught her arm. “Save your energy. This is a disaster zone, not a department store. Where are you going to find a scarf?”
Just then, a calm, gentle voice sounded from behind them. “Is everything alright, Nurse Thompson?”
Both women turned. Dr. Julian Croft stood there, his handsome face etched with polite concern. His gaze fell on Caroline, taking in her flushed cheeks and the panicked way she was clutching the collar of her uniform. His eyes flickered downward for a fraction of a second, to the patch of skin she was so desperately trying to hide.
A subtle shift occurred in his expression, a tightening around his eyes, so quick that if she hadn’t been looking for it, she would have missed it. He immediately lifted his gaze back to her face, his professional mask perfectly in place, as if he’d seen nothing at all. But Caroline saw his hand, hanging by his side, clench into a fist for a brief moment before relaxing.
.
.
.
If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.