Chapter Thirteen: June

I opened my eyes after waiting for fifteen minutes, making sure he was truly gone. I wasn’t surprised that I had woken up when he was on the phone with Stella, but I was too much of a coward to say anything. Now, their conversation replayed in my mind, each word cutting deeper. I shook my head and glanced around, realizing exactly where I was—his house. He brought me here just because she was gone for a few days? Just great. Now, I was angry.

I tried to move my leg, but pain shot up from the bandages, making it nearly impossible to shift. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to sit up. My dress was soaked in blood. “Damn, Mia’s gonna kill me when she sees this,” I muttered, scanning the room. He was really gone. I took a deep breath and tried to stand, but my right leg refused to cooperate, the muscles flinching every time I put weight on them. After two failed attempts, I gave up and dragged myself to the closet.

Yeah. Once again, I took his t-shirt. So what? I didn’t have any clothes with me. He could handle losing another one.

As I cleaned up, I tried to keep my leg dry, but of course, I failed, and fresh blood trickled down again. Rolling my eyes dramatically, I rinsed away the blood, wrapped my leg tightly with a towel, and hissed at the sting. Once I was dry, I pulled on his t-shirt, but as soon as I stood up, dizziness took over.

“Simplemente genial a este ritmo, tengo que ir al banco de sangre solo para recibir la inyección.” (Just great. At this rate, I’ll need a blood bank just to get an injection.)

I was mumbling to myself as I stepped out of the bathroom—only to freeze at the sound of his voice.

“What are you doing there?”

I flinched as Cam rushed toward me and scooped me into his arms. My body betrayed me, reacting to his touch in ways I wished it wouldn’t. He placed me gently on the bed, his presence overwhelming.

“I took a bath. I smelled like blood.” My voice was quieter than I intended.

He cleared his throat, looking away. It was then I realized—the t-shirt had ridden up my thighs, and I had nothing underneath. No bra. No panties.

Panic hit me hard. I yanked the blanket over myself. “Ahem. Thanks for taking care of me, but I’m fine. You can leave.”

He didn’t listen. Instead, he grabbed the bandages from the nightstand. “You ruined the wrapping, so I’ll change it. Then, you’ll eat and rest.”

Without waiting for my response, he pulled the blanket down until my injured leg was exposed. When he removed the towel, the wet bandage clung to my skin, sending sharp pain through me. I hissed, gripping the blanket tightly. He noticed and, this time, moved more gently.

“I was worried when I came in and found the bed empty,” he admitted while working. “I thought you disappeared again. But then you walked out of the bathroom… wearing my t-shirt. And I felt relieved.”

I tilted my head, suspicious. Why the small talk? “You don’t have to force a conversation. We both know it’s awkward when we try.”

As he peeled off the last piece of the bandage, I cried out. It was stuck. To my surprise, instead of yanking it off, Cam brushed his fingers lightly against my skin, loosening it. A shiver ran down my spine.

Oh no. I didn’t like where this was going.

“Can you do it fast?” My voice was shaky. Was it from the pain… or the way his touch lingered?

He didn’t answer right away. When he finally spoke, his voice was unreadable. “Are you pushing me away because you think I’m being nice to you just because you got stabbed protecting me?”

I stiffened. Of course, that’s what happened, but he didn’t need to know that. He was planning to marry Stella. He made it clear where we stood, so I had to create distance between us.

He stopped wrapping my leg and met my gaze. His eyes were intense—too intense. I swallowed hard. Damn his eyes. They always pulled me in like a magnet.

“Why are you keeping your distance?” There was something in his voice—hurt? But why would he care now? After everything? After we were already divorced?

I leaned slightly closer. “It’s for a good reason. I don’t want any trouble in the future. I don’t want to cause any misunderstandings between you and Miss Stella.”

His expression turned puzzled.

I sighed. “I don’t want her seeing us like this and thinking we… had sex. I don’t want to ruin your marriage.”

Pulling my leg away from his grasp, I finished wrapping it myself and yanked the blanket over me. “Now that you’re done, can you leave?”

He hesitated. “Aren’t you going to eat?” He gestured to the plates he had brought.

I shook my head. “I’m not hungry. Please leave. I need to sleep.”

He exhaled, then picked up the plates and walked toward the door. Before stepping out, he stopped. “If you need anything, call me. Don’t do things on your own. You’ll only end up hurting yourself more.”

I didn’t reply.

A moment later, the door closed behind him.

And for some strange reason, I fell asleep trying to avoid him.