The phone buzzed on the side table, cutting through the quiet like an alarm I didn’t want to hear. I groaned and cracked my eyes open. The dim ceiling of the brothel room stared back at me—white polished paint, dim lights stuck at the walls, and that familiar smell of perfume, saliva and sheets.

Lara was still fast asleep, her naked body warm and heavy against my chest. Her breathing was soft and steady, one arm draped over me like she never wanted to let go. I didn’t want to wake her. Slowly, I reached sideways, stretching my arm without moving too much, and grabbed the phone.

Unknown number. No name on the screen.

I swiped to answer and pressed it to my ear. "Hello?"

A calm woman’s voice came through. "Hello, this is the nurse from Central Hospital. Am I speaking to Mr. Ezra?"

My heart slammed against my ribs. I sat up so fast that Lara’s head slipped off my chest. "Yes, it’s me," I said, voice already rough with worry. "Is this about Aeri? Is she okay?"

The nurse’s tone stayed steady, which somehow made me even more nervous. "Yes, it’s about Aeri. She’s okay—she just opened her eyes a few minutes ago. The doctors are with her right now, checking everything."

I let out a shaky breath I didn’t know I was holding. "Thank God. Can I talk to her? Or... is she able to?"

"Not on the call," the nurse said gently. "But she’s awake and stable. We thought you’d want to know right away. If it’s possible, could you come to the hospital? It would be good for her to see a familiar face."

I was already swinging my legs off the bed. "Yeah, yeah, I’m coming. I’ll be there in ten minutes—fifteen tops. Tell her I’m on my way, okay?"

"Will do, Mr. Ezra." she replied back in a calm comforting tone. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The line went dead. I tossed the phone onto the sheets and stood up, heart still racing. My clothes were scattered on the floor—jeans, shirt, one sock hanging off the chair. I yanked my t-shirt on as fast as I could.

From the bed, Lara stirred. She rubbed her eyes and pushed herself up on one elbow, the sheet sliding down to her waist.

"Umm... everything okay, Ezra?" Her voice was sleepy and soft, a little confused.

She looked confused and still half-asleep, her naked body sprawled on the bed, hair messy, one arm reaching out toward me.

I froze mid-step, phone still in my hand, completely naked and suddenly feeling the weight of everything.

The phone call ended, but the sudden silence in the room felt heavier than before. I stood beside the bed, completely naked, heart hammering in my chest. Lara stirred slowly, blinking awake. She pushed herself up on one elbow, her messy dark hair falling over one shoulder, and looked at me with sleepy, confused eyes.

I turned back toward the bed looking at her. "Lara..." I said her name soft, almost like I was testing the water.

She was already sitting up, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. She reached for her phone on the side table and checked the time.

"Yeah, you going somewhere?" she asked, her voice still thick from waking up. "It’s only six in the morning. Shouldn’t we sleep a bit longer?" She yawned loud, stretching her arms high above her head. Her tits pushed out with the stretch, but I wasn’t even thinking about that right now.

"Yeah... normally yes," I said, letting out a small, nervous laugh to try and keep things light. "But something urgent came up."

She lowered her arms and looked straight at me, one eyebrow going up. "What do you mean? I paid the full amount and I even called your manager Jonathan, remember? I told him I was keeping you till ten in the morning and we’d have breakfast together after."

I nodded quick, stepping closer to the bed. "Yeah... I know. We spent a lot of time together and it was really nice. But I have to visit the hospital now. It’s something really personal..."

I leaned in a little, hoping she’d understand if I just explained it nice and calm.

But her hand shot out fast. *SLAP!*

The sharp sting burned across my left cheek like fire. I froze.

"So?" she said in a serious, bossy voice, her eyes narrow now.

My eyes went wide open. My heart started hammering hard in my chest and the shock was so big I couldn’t even get words out.

My eyes widened in shock as the sharp sting spread across my cheek. I stood there frozen, trying to understand what had just happened and why she had slapped me so suddenly. Till late into the night, she had seemed completely okay—calm, understanding, even smiling at times. But now my heart was hammering wildly in my chest, and her eyes... they looked completely different. Cold. Angry. Like she was someone else entirely.

"How come is that my problem?" she asked louder, sitting up straighter.

"Lara... please..." I managed to say, my voice small.

Before I could finish, her hand flew again. *SLAP!* Harder this time on the same cheek. The burn spread across my face. Then she grabbed my wrist and yanked me forward. I lost my balance and fell onto the bed, my face landing right on her soft, warm thighs.

She kept her hand on the back of my head, holding me there. "Do I have to make you realise that I am your client?" she said through gritted teeth, her voice low and angry. "You don’t just get to run off because something ’personal’ came up. I paid for your time. All of it. Till ten. Breakfast included. Got it?"

I lay there, cheek still stinging, breathing fast against her skin, not sure what to say next. The room felt smaller all of a sudden, and the easy morning we had a minute ago was gone.

The room felt smaller. The warmth from earlier had completely disappeared. I lay there, face against her thigh, trying to process what had just happened.