Chapter 379
ALEXANDER
By the time I got back to our chambers, I had already replayed the conversation twice in my head.
None of it sat right.
Not her tone.
Not her words.
And definitely not the look on her face as she ran off.
I pushed the door open without knocking.
It wasn’t locked.
That alone told me she was inside.
The room was quiet.
My eyes moved quickly across the space–nothing out of place, nothing broken, nothing disturbed. For a brief second, it almost felt like I had imagined the entire thing. Like she had left me in the office in that state, and somehow, between there and here, everything had just… settled.
I stepped further in.
“Faye?”
No answer.
But I could smell her.
Faint.
Fresh.
She was here.
My jaw tightened slightly as I moved forward.
“Faye,” I called again, a little louder this time.
Still nothing.
<Chapter 379
I checked the bedroom next.
Empty.
+25 Points?
The bed untouched, the curtains still drawn the way they had been earlier. No movement. No sound.
Maybe she was in the bathroom.
I turned toward it, crossing the room in a few quick steps before stopping at the door. My hand lifted, knocking once.
“Faye?”
There was silence.
Not even a sound.
Something shifted in my chest then. Not panic–not yet. But enough to push me past waitin
I reached for the handle and pushed the door open.
The first thing I noticed was the floor.
Her clothes.
They were scattered across it.
My eyes moved instinctively–fast, sharp–following the line from the floor to the tub.
And that was when I saw her.
Completely submerged beneath the water.
For a split second, my body didn’t move.
Then everything hit at once.
“Faye-”
I was already moving before the word fully left my mouth.
Two quick strides and I was at the tub, my hands going straight into the water without hesitation, grabbing her, pulling her up-
Her head broke the surface, her body limp in my grip.
“Faye!”
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No response.
Her face was still and pale.
Something cold snapped through me.
I didn’t think.
I didn’t hesitate.
+25 Points
I lifted her out immediately, water spilling over the edge of the tub as I pulled her fully into my arms, turning and dropping to the floor in one motion.
I laid her flat carefully, my hands already moving–checking, pressing, trying to get a reaction.
“Faye–hey-” my voice came out sharper now, a bit rough. “Faye, open your eyes.”
Nothing.
For a split second, everything around me narrowed.
I pressed my hand against her, trying to get her to respond, my jaw tightening as I forced myself to stay controlled.
“Come on,” I muttered under my breath.
And then-
She moved.
Suddenly.
Her body jerked slightly as she coughed–sharp, rough, water spilling from her lips as she sucked in a breath like it hurt to do it.
Relief hit hard.
Immediate.
Sharp enough to almost throw me off balance.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, my hand steadying her as she coughed again, her breathing uneven, confused.
Her eyes opened.
Disoriented.
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Chapter 379
I swallowed the surge of everything that came with that–relief, frustration, something dangerously close to anger–and forced it du .n.
Not now.
I reached for the nearest towel, pulling it free quickly before leaning back toward her, wrapping it around her shoulders and body as she shivered.
+25 Points
FAYE
I sat on the edge of the bed, my hands resting lightly on my thighs, forcing myself to stay still while Dr. Adams moved around me.
Her touch was careful. Professional. Detached in the way it needed to be.
But it didn’t take away from the way the room felt.
Not suffocating–just… tense.
Like something was sitting in the air between all of us, unspoken but impossible to ignore.
I didn’t look at Alexander.
I didn’t need to.
I could feel where he was.
By the door.
Watching.
Waiting.
His presence didn’t move. Didn’t shift. It stayed there, steady and heavy, like he had anchored himself in that exact spot and decided he wasn’t going anywhere until this was over.
Dr. Adams checked my pulse again, then my eyes, then asked a few quiet questions I answered without thinking too much about them.
“Any dizziness?”
“No.”
“Headache?”
I hesitated for a second. “No.”
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She paused, just briefly, like she noticed it—but she didn’t push.
She continued anyway.
I could tell she had already made up her mind.
+25 Points
She had been trying, earlier, to convince Alexander that there was nothing wrong with me. I heard the tone in her voice then–gentle, but firm. The kind she used when she believed what she was saying but knew the person she was speaking to wouldn’t accept it easily.
And Alexander hadn’t.
Of course he hadn’t.
After what he walked in on, there was no way he would.
I exhaled slowly, keeping my gaze fixed somewhere ahead of me, not really focusing on
anything.
I felt fine.
That was the strangest part.
Not perfectly fine–but not… whatever he thought that was.
Not broken.
Not-
I stopped that thought before it could settle.
Dr. Adams straightened after a moment, stepping back slightly.
“She’s fine,” she said.
I finally glanced up, just slightly, catching the edge of Alexander’s reaction from where he
stood.
He didn’t move right away.
Then he nodded once.
“Thank you, Doctor.”
His voice was controlled.
But I knew him well enough to hear what sat underneath it.
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Dr. Adams picked up her things, giving me one last look.
“I’ll take my leave now,” she said.
No one stopped her.
+25 Points
I listened to the quiet sound of her steps as she walked out, the door opening and closing
again.
Now it was just us.
5
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LUCK DRAW >
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
