anwhile, in the sa hotel as Daniel and Anna, Ethan had booked a room for himself—coincidentally choosing the very place they were staying. Completely unaware of their presence, he rushed straight to his suite, showered, and changed into sothing comfortable.
Ethan had a habit—no matter how exhausted he was, he would speak to his mother once before calling it a day. Tonight was no different.
Stephane spent most of the call talking about Bianca and her family, who were insistently requesting a eting. Ethan shut the idea down imdiately, stating bluntly that he wasn’t instructed to entertain them. Just like that, another blind date was rejected without hesitation.
But the conversation didn’t end there.
"Ethan," his mother pressed gently, "what happened at your father’s place? Sothing changed in you after that day. Tell ."
He stiffened. The last thing he wanted was to revisit that mont.
"Mom, I have a shoot tomorrow. I need to sleep," Ethan dismissed flatly, cutting off any opportunity for her to prod further. And before Stephane could say anything else, the call disconnected, leaving her stranded mid-concern.
Ethan leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes, trying to shut out the world. But the events of the day pulsed through his mind like a persistent ache.
Kathrine being attacked. The suspicious man hovering around Anna.
Two coincidences that weren’t coincidences at all.
Ethan abruptly sat upright, a deep furrow creasing his forehead.
Do the Bennetts have enemies?
Of course they did. Families with influence always did. But this... this felt personal.
"Maybe I should warn Anna," Ethan muttered, grabbing his phone. His worry for her overrode the exhaustion weighing down his body as he quickly called Anna.
***
The next morning, Anna woke with a sharp ache spreading from her lower back to the tips of her toes. Her legs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds—sore, heavy, barely willing to move. She sucked in a breath as she tried to shift, her muscles protesting each attempt.
Great. I’m paralyzed. Absolutely paralyzed.That man had no rcy.
She turned her head slowly, expecting to see Daniel sprawled beside her, hair a ss, arm thrown over her waist like he owned her.
But the space was empty.
Her eyes narrowed.
Did he seriously leave after doing all that to ?
She pushed herself upright, wincing as every muscle throbbed. She hated when Daniel disappeared without a word—it made her feel both abandoned and irrationally irritated. She could already picture him downstairs, acting like nothing had happened, while she was here suffering for his enthusiasm.
Before she could ntally curse him, the phone on the bedside table buzzed loudly. The screen lit up once, then again as it vibrated against the wood.
Anna’s gaze snapped toward it.
It was Daniel’s phone.
Her irritation faltered.If his phone was here... he hadn’t left the house.
He was close. Sowhere. Just not with her.
Relief seeped into her chest, but it was short-lived. The phone buzzed again, the shrill ring cutting into the quiet morning.
"Just who is calling him at this hour?" she muttered, leaning over carefully to check.
But the na flashing on the screen made her blink.
Dr. Jason.
Anna stared.
Dr. Jason? She tried to recall if she had ever heard the na, but nothing ca to mind.
She placed the phone back down, deciding not to interfere—but her thoughts wouldn’t stop turning.
Why would a doctor call Daniel? Is he hurt? Did sothing happen?
Before she could spiral, the call ended... only for a ssage to pop up imdiately afterward.
Appointnt confird for 6 PM.
Anna froze, her mind racing. Appointnt? With a doctor? Daniel looked perfectly fine yesterday.
"He always looked fine. Strong. Untouchable. Why would he need an appointnt?" She muttered, praising her husband absentmindedly. But before she could make sense of it, the bathroom door opened, steam drifting out as Daniel stepped into the room, towel around his waist, hair dripping.
"Are you seeing a therapist?" Anna asked bluntly.
Daniel stopped mid-step.
His gaze flicked to the phone in her hand and back to her face—her curious, too-perceptive face.
"I–It’s for Henry," he said quickly, crossing the room to snatch the phone from her hand.
"Henry’s been having so... issues. I asked a friend to help him out."
Anna raised a brow, unconvinced. "But Henry looked perfectly fine the last ti I saw him."
Daniel blinked, caught off guard by her persistence. "He does have a problem," he insisted. "You can ask him if you want."
He turned slightly, subtly hiding the phone behind him.
He hated when she got too close to the truth—hated the idea of her knowing about the therapy sessions Jason practically dragged him into. Every ti Jason called, he refused. Every ti, Jason texted reminders. And every ti, Daniel avoided them.
But Anna’s eyes were still on him, searching.
She didn’t push further. Instead, she winced sharply as a pain shot through her abdon.
"O-ooo—ah!"
Daniel reacted instantly. "Careful," he murmured, moving to steady her.
His hands brushed her waist gently—so different from the way they had gripped her the night before. However Anna instead of feeling giddy slapped his hand away.
"Don’t you touch . It’s all because of you I can’t stand!"
Anna hissed the words like a furious cat, stumbling back before her legs gave up entirely. She dropped onto the bed with a soft thud, glaring murderously at Daniel.
He blinked at her—wide-eyed, innocent.
Far too innocent for a man responsible for turning her limbs into useless noodles.
She never thought he would take his promise so literally. Paralyze her, he’d said. She thought he was bragging. Exaggerating.
Apparently not.
And now, with her bladder full and her legs refusing to cooperate, Anna was ready to cry for a whole different reason.
"Let help you," Daniel offered imdiately, stepping forward to lift her.
This ti, Anna didn’t shove him away—mostly because she feared one wrong move would result in her wetting the bed and losing every piece of dignity she had left.
Daniel slipped an arm under her knees and another behind her back, lifting her with ridiculous ease. He carried her to the bathroom, setting her carefully in front of the toilet.
"Now get out," Anna snapped, pointing toward the door. "And co back only when I call you."
Daniel didn’t argue. He practically sprinted out, shutting the door behind him like a soldier escaping a battlefield.
The mont the latch clicked, he let out a long, shaky breath and leaned his back against the door.
Anna, in this state, was a ticking bomb—ready to explode at the slightest spark. And honestly, he deserved the blast. He had no excuse for what he’d done to her body last night.
But even as he braced himself for the scolding he knew was coming... sothing else tugged at his mind.
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