CHARLOTTE’S POV
A week passed by very quickly. There were days I worked witho rest and somehow I never got tired. The hospital stayed busy, almost like rush hour all the time. I truly enjoyed what I d, working to get patients who thought they were going to die get back on their feet, similing again.
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It felt like things were slowly going back to normal. Ace listened to me this time, he took his men away, just like I asked. Liam was back to his bubbly self, enjoying school and coming home with stories every day.
Ace showed up for his checkups despite his tight Alpha schedule I finally agreed to work directly with him if that was what it would take to bring the automobile project to life. Next Tuesday we’ll be having our first official sit–down to discuss things properly.
He texted me a few times and tried to start conversations whenever he came in for his checkups. I never gave him my full attention, and he noticed. I always saw the sadness and hurt in his eyes when he looked at me. He called Liam almost every night, and they talked for a while. I asked him not to show up at the house, and he respected that. I was beginning to miss him, but it was for the best. I don’t want Liam and I getting attached to someone who isn’t for us. But most nights, when I looked out my window, I could feel him there, watching me from the woods.
I had wrapped up a quick meeting with a few hospital investors this afternoon and was heading back to my office when I heard someone call my name.
“Doctor Charlotte.” I turned. It was Dr. Stanley.
“I was wondering if there’s something else we could do for that patient,” he said. “His body is shutting down and he’s not responding to any treatment.” He was talking about the man who was brought in over a week ago, the one who kept jerking.
I shrugged as I opened my office door. “There’s nothing more we can do for now. The people who dropped him here disappeared that same day and never showed up again. He’s a wolf, and this isn’t something we can approach blindly.”
“I’m worried about what will happen if he dies,” he admitted. “It could ruin everything we’ve worked hard to build in this hospital. People will come for us.” His voice was filled with worry
“He’s not going to die,” I said with assurance. “That much I can assure you. But he show
up and explain what was done to him.” I paused.
“You can get back to work, Doctor.”
won’t!
He nodded, confirming the updated treatment orders and patient chart before leaving.
‘t get better either until his people
A second later, my intercom beeped. I picked it up when I saw it was my secretary calling through the office line.
“Doctor, I know you said you don’t want any disturbance for the next three hours,” my secretary said through the intercom, sounding unsure. “But there’s a man here to see you. He’s insisting.”
“And who is he?” I asked, tired already.
There was some shuffling on the other end before she spoke again. “He said he’s the one who brought the patient in.”
A part of me wanted to tell her to send him away. He dumped a patient here, vanished, and only left behind a warning that his man must not die. But the doctor in me wouldn’t allow it. “Send him in.”
A few seconds later, the door opened.
I was face to face with the same man I saw in the elevator. He was tall, about Ace’s height, maybe six–four. Ace was still a bit taller, more muscular, but this man carried himself differently. He wore a black tux that made him look untouchable, like someone who didn’t belong in a hospital at all. A few buttons of his black shirt were undone, his hands tucked into his
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Chapter 36
pockets. I caught a glimpse of a tattoo on his cliest, though not enough to make it out fully
His presence screamed danger, the kind you don’t want to mess with. His dark eyes was piercing through me, drawing me in, like I was an open book and he was doing a thorough reading of me. His curly hair that reached his shoulders reminded me so much of Liam, though Liany’s hair was shorter. There was very subtle resemblance between both of them, just like it was with Ace, except Ace didn’t have a curly hair.
“Charlotte”
My name rolled off his tongue. He didn’t call me doctor. He said it like he already knew me, like my name belonged to him somehow.
“Who are you?” I asked, squinting at him, studying his face.
“They say in life you should expect anything.”
That voice. I knew it, I’d heard it somewhere before. My head started working fast, pieces trying to come together, and then it hit me, coming back all at once.
He was the man from my dream.
The one who held me while I cried. The one I said I hadn’t heard his voice in months.
“Do you know me?” My voice came out small. “What’s your name?”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he walked closer, until he was standing too close for comfort. I stepped back, needing space, my heart beating faster.
“My name is Gavin,” he said calmly. “Gavin Eros.”
“Do you know me?” I asked again, my voice almost desperate. My heart was beating fast. Maybe someone from my past had finally found me. But a bigger question was tugging at my chest.
“You’re Dr. Charlotte Graves. Everyone knows who you are.” He said it like he was simply stating the obvious.
My palms suddenly felt sweaty. I wiped them on my pants. “The way you said my name earlier… it sounded familiar. Like you weren’t a stranger.”
“You already know the answer to that.” He took a slow breath before he spoke the words that confirmed everything
“Ugly duckling.”
That name.
The woman in my dream called me that.
A sharp headache hit me out of nowhere. I squeezed my eyes shut, my hand flying to my temple as I staggered back a little. My head throbbed hard, like something was forcing its way out. My chest ached as flashes rushed in too fast.
It felt as if I was dragged down to a world I knew nothing about. It was moving very fast, people walking by so quickly I could hardly see anyone. I saw a younger version of myself standing there, looking abandoned and scared. Everywhere I turned, voices followed.
“Ugly. Ugly duckling.”
“Hey duck, you got a black sign board on your face,” one boy said and the rest laughed.
“You should try make up some times, it’ll look better on you.”
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TUG, T
Chapter 36
They laughed. Over and over as they said those words.
Then another voice cut through it all. It was faint but clear as day enough to crush me.
“You were too easy, Ugly”
I was on the floor panting hard, my body drenched in my sweat,oaking through my clothes. My hands trembled as I tried to catch my breath. Gavin rushed to my side, dropping down wit me. His hand rubbing slowly on my back, trying to calm
- me.
I looked up at him, my vision still blurry. Is he the one I’ve been looking for all these years?
Who was he to me? Why did I see him in my dream?
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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.
