****************
Chapter 76
~Spring’s POV~
And sohow, we did. I wasn’t exactly sure when "just sothing to wear for tonight" turned into a whole mini wardrobe refresh, but the bags started piling up quickly.
A cozy oversized sweater. Two pairs of soft leggings. A sexy nightdress that made blush when Rhys smirked and told to "definitely get that one."
A matching robe. Fuzzy socks in pale blue. New underthings—embarrassingly practical but still elegant.
"Do I really need all this?" I asked once I’d stepped out of the fitting room for the fifth ti.
Rhys looked at and shrugged. "You need sothing that makes you feel good. This makes you feel good, right?"
I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded. "Yeah... yeah, it kinda does."
"Then that’s all I care about."
He said it simply—no ulterior motive, no flirtation. Just... sincerity.
I started to relax after that.
By the ti I was deciding between two equally soft cardigans, he was at the counter with an armful of items, nodding to the cashier as she began ringing up the purchases.
I walked over and smiled faintly. "I think I’ve turned into one of those girls."
"Which girls?"
"The ones who stress-buy their entire closet after one emotional slap-fest."
Rhys chuckled. "You earned every stitch in those bags."
Just as he handed his card over, his phone rang. He checked the screen, and I saw it—the imdiate shift in his face. That calm, unshakeable Rhys lted into full alert.
He answered quickly. "This is Dr. Rhys Kaine."
His brows furrowed as he listened. I could hear soone talking rapidly on the other end—urgent, panicked.
"What?" he said sharply. "But I stabilised him yesterday... Is he in critical again?"
My stomach dropped.
"Yes," Rhys said tightly. "Prep the ICU. I’ll be there in fifteen." He hung up.
He turned to instantly, an apology already etched on his face.
"Ergency. Governor’s son. He’s crashing fast."
I blinked. "Wait—do you want to get a ride back or—"
"No." He waved a hand. "You’re coming with . We’ll go straight to my place after. I just—I have to go now."
I didn’t argue. Not when his voice had dropped that low, that urgent.
The clerk finished bagging the last of the clothes. Rhys slid his card through with one hand and grabbed the bags with the other. I took so to lighten his load as we rushed out into the night air.
The second we got into the car, he fastened his seatbelt with one hand and pulled out of the lot like the tires themselves understood the situation.
"I’m sorry," he said again as we sped down the road. "This wasn’t how I wanted our night to go."
I glanced at him, then at the bags in the backseat. "You didn’t have to bring along."
"I wasn’t leaving you behind. Not like that."
And the strange thing was... I believed him.
He wasn’t just saying it out of duty or politeness. Rhys ant it.
I clutched the seatbelt tightly and stared ahead, my heart already pounding for reasons I didn’t understand.
Sothing about this ergency—this night—told it wasn’t just another trip to the hospital.
Sothing was about to happen.
And deep down, I felt it. Just like I always did... when the past was about to catch up.
The car rolled to a stop in the hospital’s private bay, the headlights slicing through the soft fog that clung to the lot like misted breath.
Rhys unclipped his seatbelt in one swift motion. His jaw was set, focused, and professional.
"I’ll be quick," he said as he opened the door, pausing just a mont before stepping out. "Stay here, alright? I won’t be long."
I nodded, watching him take his lab coat from teh back of his car, wore it and then disappeared through the ergency wing doors, the white of his coat catching under the overhead lights like a passing cot.
Then I was alone.
The hospital parking lot was too quiet. The glow from the lamps above cast long shadows over the dashboard, and I exhaled slowly, trying to will away the weight pressing on my chest.
I glanced at the shopping bags beside —soft sweaters, new socks, comfort.
But the quiet was loud, too loud.
I leaned forward, hoping to distract myself, when I saw it—Rhys’s phone, forgotten in the center console. It buzzed again, vibrating softly against the leather seat.
The na on the screen made my stomach turn: Father.
I froze as a mory filled my mind, not mine but Spring’s but the mory hit hard anyway.
A sharp image of a younger Spring—kneeling in the hallway outside his study, hands shaking, hoping to be acknowledged after winning a local academic prize. She’d waited there for hours, the certificate damp with sweat.
He never ca out.
I stared at the na as the screen dimd, then lit up again.
Still calling.
I swallowed hard. My fingers trembled as I reached out, brushing over the screen. I was Solstice, but the remnants of Spring’s pain still throbbed like a scar stitched into my bones.
She had never mattered enough to that man.
But maybe Rhys did, and this... this might be important.
I inhaled slowly, bracing myself, and picked up the phone. "I’ll just find him," I whispered to myself, pushing open the car door.
Inside the hospital, the scent of antiseptic and steel flooded my senses. Clean, cold. Too bright. A little too polished.
At the front desk, two receptionists sat typing furiously. I approached with as much confidence as I could fake.
"Excuse , I need to find Dr. Rhys Kaine. It’s urgent."
The older nurse didn’t look up. "Dr. Kaine is busy. Critical patient. You’ll need to—"
"He left his phone in the car," I said quickly, lifting the screen toward them. "And he’s getting repeated calls from our father. If you want to explain to Rhys that you blocked from giving him that call, I’d be happy to."
The other receptionist blinked. "You’re... Spring Kaine?"
"Yes," I said, straightening. "And our father is Mr. Kaine."
That did it.
Their posture snapped upright, like strings pulled taut by invisible hands.
One of them hastily stood. "Down the east wing. ICU prep. Room three. He should be there. But try not to disturb... it’s an ergency."
I nodded and offered a polite but tight smile. "Thank you."
Reviews
All reviews (0)