Clarissa hadn’t planned on bringing Abyss with her today—but Abyss had other ideas.
From the mont she got out of bed, she’d followed her around relentlessly, tugging at the hem of her skirt, staring at her with stubborn intensity even after she changed.
She laughed helplessly and ruffled his huge head.
“Alright, alright, I’ll take you. But you have to behave. No attacking people, got it?”
After confirming arrangents with Atticus over the phone, Clarissa let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“Dr. Atticus said he’ll co down to pick us up himself. We’ll enter through the back door.”
If Abyss marched in through the front, he’d scare half the hospital to death.
She led him quietly around to the rear entrance. Just as she reached for the handle, the door opened from the inside.
Their eyes t.
“Good morning, Miss Clarissa,” Atticus said first.
“Dr. Atticus… I brought Abyss.” She tightened her grip on the leash. Today, Abyss stared at him without blinking, a low, warning growl rumbling in his throat.
The air instantly turned awkward and tense.
Clarissa forced a small laugh and bent to stroke Abyss’s head.
“Abyss, calm down…”
Then she looked back up at Atticus apologetically.
“I’m sorry. She’s very clingy, and I was worried about leaving her alone at ho. I hope I’m not causing trouble.”
Atticus only smiled gently, his gaze never leaving her.
“Co inside.”
Clarissa quickly tugged Abyss along behind her.
.......
Atticus settled them in the front waiting area. He brewed Clarissa a pot of tea, set out snacks, and even prepared a bowl of pet treats for Abyss with surprising thoughtfulness.
“I need to handle a few things first. Miss Clarissa, please relax here for a mont. I’ll talk to you properly afterward.”
“Okay,” she replied obediently.
She watched him work.
It was srizing.
His profile was flawless—clean white shirt, sleeves casually rolled up, lean muscles defined beneath the fabric, fingers moving with calm precision. The sight of him like this stirred a strange sense of familiarity deep in her chest.
So familiar it made her heart ache.
“Miss Clarissa.”
His voice behind her made her jolt. Her heart skipped violently.
“Dr. Atticus? Is sothing wrong?”
He looked up with a faint glint in his eyes.
“If it’s convenient… could you make a cup of coffee?”
“Of course.” She rose imdiately. “How would you like it?”
“However you like it.”
She blinked, slightly puzzled at that odd answer, but didn’t question him. When she opened the pantry, she recognized the coffee beans imdiately.
They were the kind she drank herself.
She added two spoonfuls of sugar and three of milk without even thinking. As the coffee stead before her, confusion flickered through her mind.
Why do my hands rember this so clearly?
She brought the cup to him and set it down gently.
Atticus lifted it and took a sip.
The flavor flooded his senses—rich coffee, soft milk, delicate sweetness. Exactly the sa as it had been in the past.
Atticus, too much sugar’s bad for you. You’re still young—you won’t grow tall if you drink too much coffee.
The mory struck him like a blade wrapped in silk.
“Dr. Atticus? …Is it not good?”
He snapped back to the present, setting the cup down with care.
“No. It’s wonderful,” he said softly. “The best coffee I’ve ever had.”
This was the second ti he’d said words like that to her.
Her gaze drifted to the booklet in his hands. Many nas inside were crossed out in bold red.
She asked instinctively, “Is this your appointnt list? Why are there so many red X’s?”
“They’re people I refuse to see,” Atticus replied calmly.
“You… choose your patients?”
A subtle smile curved his lips as he observed her reaction.
“Miss Clarissa, co sit here.”
He patted the chair beside him.
She hesitated only a mont before sitting down.
Even with a small gap between them, the faint dicinal scent on his body drifted toward her. Her muscles stiffened slightly. Her heartbeat quickened. Even the tips of her ears ward.
Atticus placed the booklet in front of her. “You’ve seen this person before.”
Clarissa leaned forward slightly to get a better look.
“He’s a notorious bastard in the industry,” Atticus said calmly.
Clarissa imdiately understood. “Dr. Atticus, I—”
He let out a low chuckle. “How many people on that list genuinely seek treatnt, and how many truly deserve it… that’s always worth questioning.”
Clarissa looked at him intently. “You’re a good doctor.”
Atticus lifted his coffee and took a slow sip.
“But I’m not a good person.”
His eyes darkened slightly. “Once, I made a promise to soone. She taught how precious life really is. I beca a doctor because of her—to save those who actually need saving.”
Their gazes t.
Clarissa’s heart, which had just barely settled, suddenly began to pound again—harder than before.
She quickly looked away, unable to bear the intensity.
“I… I won’t interrupt your work.”
With that, she rose in a near panic and hurried into the adjacent cubicle, almost as if fleeing.
Atticus watched her disappearing figure. The cold in his eyes lted into sothing soft—dangerously soft.
He lowered his head and returned to his work with forced focus, lifting the coffee to his lips once more.
Abyss sat upright on the rug, staring at the open snacks in front of it. The slls were intoxicating.
Eat… don’t eat… eat… don’t eat…
Its tail swished violently, first side to side, then in tight circles. Just as its paw inched forward—
Clarissa suddenly rushed back at full speed and dropped down beside it.
Her face was flushed a deep crimson, her eyes glossy with lingering confusion and embarrassnt.
Abyss tilted its head. She had only been gone a mont—how had she turned into this?
Clarissa didn’t even notice it. She fanned her face rapidly, trying to cool down. Abyss thickened its tail around a water bottle and nudged it toward her.
She grabbed it and gulped it down in one go.
Only then did she slump against Abyss, rolling the empty bottle in her fingers, lost in thought.
Is Dr. Atticus really a bad man…?
At first, she had thought he was the type of doctor who only treated the rich and ruthless for outrageous fees. But the truth felt very different.
And Abyss never hated anyone without a reason.
Her grip tightened on the bottle.
He had said he beca a doctor because of soone important.
Her intuition whispered the answer—a woman.
A mother? A sister? Or…
A lover?
The thought sent a sharp, unfamiliar ache through her chest.
Does Dr. Atticus… have soone he loves?
Clarissa abruptly sat up.
At that mont, footsteps approached. She quickly dropped the bottle and tightened Abyss’s leash to keep it still.
Watching the two of them chatting happily while it was completely ignored, Abyss rolled its eyes in irritation and tugged at its collar.
Clarissa had already defected—utterly bewitched by Atticus.
His scent alone felt like a threat.
It had disliked him since it was still small. It had failed to protect Clarissa once and even lost consciousness that night. And on the opposite balcony… that man had made blatant, provocative gestures.
The hatred only ran deeper.
But when it saw Clarissa smiling like that—
Abyss hesitated.
It had stayed with her for two years and had rarely seen her this genuinely happy. With Atticus, she seed relaxed in a way she never was before. Even when she cooked afterward, she’d been softly humming.
…Fine.
Abyss snorted quietly, lowered its guard, and curled up on the rug at Clarissa’s feet, silently keeping watch.
From across the room, Atticus observed the shift.
While Clarissa stepped away briefly, he moved closer with unhurried steps.
Abyss instantly tensed. Its body lowered, crimson-gold eyes narrowing, a low growl rumbling in warning.
Atticus calmly sat down very close to it.
Elegant. Unbothered. A faint smile t Abyss’s hostility.
“Little Abyss,” he murmured. “Let’s… talk.”
......
When Clarissa returned, Atticus was already seated where he had been before, calmly sipping tea. From behind, his tall posture was straight and composed, long legs crossed, slender fingers striking against the white porcelain cup—a flawless, almost unreal sight.
In contrast, Abyss lay curled at her feet, utterly dazed, tail slack against the floor.
Clarissa hurried over. “Dr. Atticus, Abyss didn’t hurt you again, did she?”
Atticus placed his cup down gently and poured one for Clarissa as well.
“No. Abyss is very well-behaved. She didn’t an it last ti. Right, Abyss?”
It didn’t reply. It simply wrapped its tail around Clarissa’s ankle and pressed its entire body against her.
Clarissa stroked its back softly.
“I’m really grateful I’ve had her with all these years.”
Atticus glanced at her. “Are you alone, Miss Clarissa?”
“Yes.”
His fingers curled slightly at his side. “I thought you’d have many suitors.”
“Love isn’t about quantity,” she said quietly. “It’s about fate.”
After speaking, she hesitated—then looked straight at him.
“Dr. Atticus… do you have soone you like?”
“Yes.” He answered without hesitation, eyes fixed on her. “But she won’t accept .”
Clarissa blinked. “Is there really any woman who would reject you?”
“And you, Miss Clarissa?” he asked softly. “Would you?”
Her entire body froze.
Since arriving here, her heartbeat had felt completely out of her control. Just like now—she had to force herself to remain calm to avoid losing all composure.
Her cool, restrained reaction chilled the heat in Atticus’s eyes.
He smiled faintly. “Just a joke. Don’t take it seriously.”
“Oh… I see.” Clarissa looked away.
For so reason, the word joke left her with an unexpected hollow ache.
On the way back, her mind stayed tangled in that conversation. She didn’t even realize she’d left the incense Atticus had given her at the front desk.
After locking Abyss in the car, she turned back to retrieve it.
The receptionist’s eyes lit up the mont she saw Clarissa, and several people at the front desk imdiately crowded around.
“Oh my god, it’s Miss Clarissa!”
“You’re even more beautiful in person than on TV!”
Seeing they were all nurses from the hospital, Clarissa had an idea. She walked over to the counter, took a few items from her bag, and handed them out with a smile.
“Just a small gift.”
“Wait—isn’t this rch from Mark and Whitney’s new drama?” one of them gasped. “It’s completely sold out!”
Clarissa smiled gently. “They’re just little things. I don’t really need them. I’m glad you like them.”
“We love them! We really do!” another nurse said excitedly. “It would be even better if we could get front-row tickets to your concert— or at least so insider news!”
Clarissa laughed. “If I get any inside information, I’ll be sure to pass it along.”
“Thank you so much!”
As the excitent slowly died down, Clarissa unconsciously brushed the incense she was holding and said softly, almost to herself,
“Dr. Atticus is really amazing… Ever since I started seeing him, I’ve been sleeping straight through the night.”
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