Betrayed Spotlight-Chapter 45: A vulnerable moment

Sarah lay in bed, tossing and turning for what felt like hours. Sleep wouldn’t come. Her mind kept replaying the strange dinner with Mason, the way he had looked at her when she fed him, and the odd flush that had colored his cheeks.

Something felt wrong, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

Finally, she gave up trying to sleep and decided to go downstairs for some water. Maybe the cool air would help clear her head and calm her racing thoughts.

Sarah slipped out of bed and put on her robe. The mansion was quiet and dark, with only small night lights illuminating the hallways. She walked softly toward the stairs, not wanting to wake anyone.

As she reached the top of the staircase, she heard a sound that made her freeze. It was a soft thud, like something heavy hitting the wall.

Sarah’s heart began to race. Was someone in the house? A burglar? Of course a burglar couldn’t enter Mason’s house.

She moved carefully toward the sound, her bare feet silent on the marble floor. As she turned the corner into the main hallway, she saw a figure leaning heavily against the wall.

It was Mason.

"Mason?" Sarah called out softly, rushing toward him.

Mason’s head was tilted back against the wall, and he was breathing heavily. When he heard her voice, he tried to straighten up and look normal, but Sarah could see that something was very wrong.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice hoarse and strained.

Sarah looked at her phone to check the time - 12:07 AM. "I couldn’t sleep. I was going to get some water, but... Mason, what’s wrong with you?"

In the dim light, Sarah could see that Mason’s skin looked red and blotchy. His face was flushed, and there were red patches on his neck and arms.

"Nothing," Mason said, trying to push himself off the wall. "I’m fine."

But as he took a step forward, he stumbled slightly, and Sarah caught his arm to steady him.

"You’re not fine!" Sarah said, her voice rising with concern. "Your skin is all red and you can barely stand up. What’s happening to you?"

Mason tried to pull away from her touch, wanting to maintain his usual cold and distant demeanor. He didn’t want Sarah to see him like this - weak and vulnerable.

"I said I’m fine," he insisted, but his voice cracked slightly.

Sarah stared at him, and suddenly everything clicked into place. The way he had looked at dinner, the flush on his cheeks, the way he had eaten the crab even though something seemed wrong.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "You’re having an allergic reaction, aren’t you?"

Mason’s carefully constructed mask finally crumbled. The pain and discomfort he had been hiding for hours became too much to bear. Without thinking, he reached out and pulled Sarah into a tight hug, burying his face in her neck.

"I’m sorry," he whispered against her hair. "I’m so sorry."

Sarah was shocked by the sudden embrace, but she could feel how much he was trembling. His whole body was shaking, and she could hear his labored breathing.

"It’s okay," she said softly, wrapping her arms around him. "We need to get you help. Can you walk?"

Mason nodded against her shoulder, not wanting to let go of her but knowing he needed to move.

Sarah helped him stand properly, supporting most of his weight as they walked slowly toward his bedroom. She had never been in Mason’s room before, and under normal circumstances, she would have been curious about this private space. But right now, all she could think about was helping him.

The bedroom was large and elegantly furnished, with dark wood furniture and expensive-looking artwork on the walls. But Sarah barely noticed any of it as she helped Mason to his bed.

"Lie down," she said gently, helping him sit on the edge of the bed before easing him back onto the pillows.

Mason’s breathing was getting more labored, and the red patches on his skin were spreading.

"Where do you keep your emergency medicine?" Sarah asked urgently. "You have an EpiPen, right?"

Mason nodded weakly and pointed toward his bedside table. "Top drawer."

Sarah rushed to the drawer and pulled it open, finding the EpiPen inside. She had seen these used in movies and TV shows, but she had never actually used one herself.

"I need to inject this into your thigh, right?" she asked, her hands shaking slightly with nervousness.

"Yes," Mason managed to say.

Sarah took a deep breath to steady herself, then quickly pushed the EpiPen against Mason’s thigh through his pants and pressed the button. The medicine injected automatically, and she held it in place for several seconds as instructed.

Within minutes, Sarah could see the color slowly returning to Mason’s face. His breathing became easier, and the red patches on his skin started to fade.

"Thank you," Mason said quietly, his voice still weak but clearer than before. frёewebηovel.cѳm

Sarah was about to respond when Mason suddenly reached up and pulled her down toward him, wrapping his arms around her in another tight embrace.

"Mason, you scared me," Sarah said, her voice muffled against his chest.

"I’m sorry," he said again, holding her close. "I’m so sorry."

Sarah pulled back slightly to look at his face. "What were you allergic to? What did you eat?"

Mason looked away, embarrassed. "Shellfish. I’m allergic to all shellfish."

Sarah’s eyes widened as she remembered the dinner. "The crab? You ate the crab I fed you, and you’re allergic to it?"

Mason nodded, still not meeting her eyes.

"Are you completely insane?" Sarah said, her voice getting louder. "You could have died! Why would you eat something you’re allergic to?"

Mason finally looked at her, and Sarah saw something in his eyes that made her heart stop. It was raw and honest and completely vulnerable.

"Because I needed your attention," he said quietly. "You were ignoring me, and I... I needed you to look at me. To talk to me."

Sarah stared at him in disbelief. "You risked your life for my attention?"

"I know it was stupid," Mason said, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I couldn’t stand you being angry at me anymore. I couldn’t stand the silence."

Sarah felt tears forming in her eyes. "Mason, you could have jus..... You could have just talked to me."

"I don’t know how," Mason admitted, his voice cracking. "I don’t know how to do any of this. I don’t know how to be a husband, how to talk about feelings, how to... how to be normal."

Sarah’s heart broke a little at his words. She could see the pain in his eyes, the confusion of someone who had never learned how to express his emotions properly.

"You don’t have to risk your life to get my attention," she said softly, reaching up to touch his face. "You just have to be honest with me."

Mason leaned into her touch, closing his eyes. "I was scared you would leave," he whispered.

"I’m not going anywhere," Sarah said, surprised by her own words. "We made a deal, remember? I’m not going to break it."

Mason opened his eyes and looked at her intensely. "Is that the only reason you’re staying? Because of our contract?"

Sarah stared into his dark eyes, seeing all the vulnerability he usually kept hidden. She realized that somewhere along the way, her feelings had become more complicated than she wanted to admit.

"I..." she started to say, but the words got stuck in her throat.

Mason reached up and cupped her face in his hands. "Sarah," he said softly.

The air between them felt charged with electricity. Sarah could feel her heart beating faster as Mason’s eyes moved from her eyes to her lips and back again.

"We shouldn’t," Sarah whispered, but she didn’t move away.

"I know," Mason said, but his hands were still on her face, his thumbs gently stroking her cheeks.

For a moment, they just stared at each other, the space between them feeling both infinite and nonexistent.

Then Mason pulled her toward him, and their lips met in a kiss that was deep and desperate and full of all the emotions they had been holding back.

Sarah felt like she was drowning in the intensity of it. This wasn’t the cold, distant Mason she was used to. This was someone raw and real and completely present.

When they finally broke apart, both of them were breathing heavily.

"Sarah," Mason whispered against her lips.

"Shh," Sarah said, resting her forehead against his. "Don’t say anything. Just... don’t say anything."

Mason nodded, understanding that words would only complicate what had just happened between them.

Sarah lay down next to him on the bed, and Mason pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. She could feel his heartbeat against her cheek, strong and steady now that the medicine had taken effect.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked quietly.

"Much better," Mason said, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.

Within minutes, exhaustion from the night’s events caught up with both of them. Sarah felt her eyes growing heavy as she listened to Mason’s breathing slow and deepen.

The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was the feeling of Mason’s arms around her and the realization that everything between them had just changed in ways she wasn’t sure she was ready to understand.

This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦