Chapter 46: Tell Her or I Will
Theo was already awake, though his eyes were half closed. Danielle lay curled against his chest, her breath was so warm and even.
For a long ti, Theo didn’t dare to make a move. He just listened to her heartbeat.
But then, she shifted slightly and whispered, "Theo..."
He humd in response, tightening his arm around her.
Danielle’s voice ca out small and uncertain. "I think... sothing happened."
Theo opened his eyes fully this ti. "What do you an?"
She hesitated, her cheeks turned pink. "The sheet... it’s... red."
Theo didn’t understand...Then he followed her eyes and saw the faint stain on the white fabric. Danielle sat up quickly and hid her face behind her hands. "Oh my God, this is so embarrassing."
Theo blinked once, then twice. "Hey," he started calmly, sitting up beside her. "It’s okay."
"It’s not okay," she mumbled in a voice muffled by her palms. "This is humiliating. I swear this never-"
"Danielle." His tone was gentle. "Stop."
When she finally looked at him, she expected him to look annoyed or uncomfortable. But he wasn’t. He just looked... concerned.
Without saying another word, Theo got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Danielle heard the sound of running water.
"What are you doing?" she called.
There was no answer from him.
After a minute, the sound of the bathtub filling grew louder, followed by the click of bottles and the scent of soap. Then he reappeared, holding a large blanket in his hands. Danielle blinked at him, completely lost.
"Theo?"
He said nothing as he wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, lifting her carefully from the bed.
"Theo, what are you doing?" she asked again, confused and embarrassed, but too surprised to resist.
"Taking care of you."
When they reached the bathroom, Theo stopped by the door. Steam was already rising from the full bathtub. He placed her down slowly and adjusted the blanket around her shoulders.
"Take your ti," he told her. "Don’t rush."
She stared at him for a mont, too stunned to speak. "You’re serious?"
"Yes. Now go."
Danielle’s lips parted like she wanted to say sothing, but nothing ca out. So she only nodded and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door gently behind her.
Once she was gone, Theo turned back to the room. He stripped the stained sheets off the bed without hesitation, gathered them in his arms, and picked up the mattress cover as well. He called the hotel service.
"This is room 417. We need the mattress replaced imdiately."
"Mrs. Hale...this will cost extra, do we inform your father?"
"Don’t inform my father. Yes, I’ll pay extra. Just make it quick."
By the ti they arrived, Theo had already opened the windows to air out the room. He waited until they left, then made the bed himself with new sheets.
Everything looked spotless again, as if nothing had ever happened.
But his mind wasn’t calm. His phone had been buzzing nonstop...Frank had been calling since sunrise. Theo finally picked up.
"Where are you?" Frank’s voice barked through the speaker.
"Handling things," Theo replied coldly.
"You were supposed to report in last night. We’re not playing gas anymore. You two need to return to the safe house. The longer you stay there, the more risk we take."
"I know."
"No, you don’t. You think this is about comfort? The president’s new guy has eyes on you both. That agent isn’t here for protection, Theo. He’s here to watch you."
Theo clenched his jaw. "Then let him watch."
"Don’t be stupid. Danielle trusts you too much already. If she ever finds out..."
Theo ended the call before Frank could finish. He didn’t want to hear it.
He looked around the room once more, then grabbed his wallet and jacket. Before leaving, he wrote a short note and placed it on the table beside the bed: "Be right back in 5 mins."
Then he left.
Danielle sank into the warm water, closing her eyes. The embarrassnt was still heating her cheeks, but the warmth made it easier to breathe.
She thought about the way Theo hadn’t said a single bad thing, hadn’t made her feel disgusting. He just... acted...so responsibly. She smiled to herself.
"It was really big..."
After a while, she got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her. When she stepped into the bedroom again, the sight made her inhale.
The sheets were changed...And on the table, next to the note, was a neatly folded pile of new clothes... a cozy gray sweatshirt, soft black leggings, and even a pair of fluffy socks.
She picked up the note and read it.
"Be right back in 5 mins."
Her smile grew without her permission. "You’re impossible, Theo," she murmured to the air.
She dressed quickly, feeling oddly comfortable in the clothes he’d chosen. They fit perfectly, which both impressed and scared her a little.
As she moved around the room, sothing on the floor caught her attention...it was Theo’s phone. It must have fallen from his pocket before he left.
Danielle bent down to pick it up. The screen lit up instantly with a ssage notification.
Her heart skipped a beat when she read the words.
"Tell her or I will."
"What does it an?" She asked out loud.
Deep inside, Danielle knew that Theo had secrets, and wasn’t going to share with her.
She also knew that Ethan was his brother, but Theo wasn’t so pleased to talk about him. So Danielle didn’t pressure him.
But they just shared a night together, so Danielle thought that he could at least tell so things about himself...especially, when he knew almost everything about her.
Unknown to Theo that he left his phone, he was staring at the trash can, holding the dress he ripped apart last night.
"Rember how much you hated this dress and told to give it to soone I like? Well, Bae...your wish probably ca true."
Theo looked at the sky and noticed how grey clouds started covering the sun, "it’s exactly how I felt when I lost you..." Muttering to himself, he placed the dress into the trash can.
"But now, my bright cloud is waiting for at the hotel that we own. Thank you, Bae. I’m sure you would’ve liked her...she’s just like you-unpredictable and stubborn."
A cold wind whispered into Theo’s ears, "I will tell her everything today."
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