SOPHIA’S POV

By the next afternoon, the hospital no longer felt as suffocating as before.

The fever from the previous night had reduced again, though my body still felt weak and drained. My limbs ached whenever I moved too much, and my wolf remained sensitive after all the emotional stress from yesterday. She was quieter today, but not peaceful.

Every now and then, she still became restless whenever she sensed traces of Zade’s scent.

And unfortunately... his scent was everywhere. It was on the blanket he had adjusted around me, on the tea cup he had touched, on the chair beside my bed where he had sat for hours.

My wolf noticed all of it. She missed him despite how stubbornly angry she still was.

I lay quietly on the bed while staring out the window beside my bed. The sky outside looked cloudy today.

Patricia had gone downstairs earlier to grab coffee while Bianca was visiting Ashley’s recovery ward.

For once, the room was silent too silent.

A sudden knock interrupted my thoughts.

“Come in.”

The door opened and I blinked in surprise immediately.

“Marco?” I said.

He walked inside carrying a paper bag and a bouquet of flowers while looking deeply uncomfortable in the hospital environment. His gray eyes immediately scanned the room carefully like he was inspecting every corner.

“You look terrible,” he said bluntly.

I stared at him in disbelief before laughing.

“Nice to see you too.”

He walked further inside and placed the flowers onto the table beside my bed. “You’re pale.”

“You’re very comforting today.”

Marco pulled a chair closer to my bed.

“You should’ve informed me earlier,” he muttered while sitting down.

Despite his cold personality, Marco had always quietly looked after people he cared about. He simply wasn’t good at showing emotion normally.

“I’m okay now,” I reassured softly.

His eyes narrowed “You collapsed.”

“That news spread fast.”

“It reached me yesterday.”

Of course, it did.

Marco leaned back slightly in the chair while crossing his arms. “I expected Zade to contact me.”

My wolf instantly reacted at the mention of his name.

She stirred emotionally inside me and my heartbeat betrayed me slightly. Even now, hearing his name still affected me too strongly.

Marco noticed immediately.

“Hm,” he murmured quietly.

I quickly looked away toward the window. “What?”

“You reacted.”

“There’s nothing to react to.”

“That’s clearly a lie.”

I sighed tiredly.

Marco studied me for several quiet seconds before finally speaking again. “Where is he?”

The question instantly made tension rise inside me again.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“We argued.”

Marco raised an eyebrow slowly. “Badly?”

I let out a dry laugh. “Very badly.”

My wolf whimpered again at the memory.

Marco’s expression became more serious now. He rested one arm against the chair while watching me carefully like he was trying to figure something out.

Then finally, he sighed quietly.

“I don’t trust him.”

The statement surprised me slightly.

I turned toward him fully. “Marco.”

“What?” he replied calmly. “You expect me to suddenly support this situation?”

“He’s not a situation.”

Marco gave me a look immediately “He’s dangerous.”

I became defensive immediately. Marco didn’t even know him.

“He’s not dangerous to me,” I answered quietly.

Marco became silent for a moment.

Then he leaned forward slightly in his chair. “Sophia, you’ve barely known him for long, yet somehow this man already affects your emotions this much. That concerns me.”

I looked down at my hands.

Honestly... it concerned me too.

“You know who I actually preferred?” he asked suddenly.

I blinked. “Who?”

“Lance.”

I stared at him in disbelief before almost laughing.

I looked at him “Lance?”

“Yes.”

“That’s random.”

“It’s not random,” Marco said “Lance is stable and he seems reliable. He likes you. I can tell”

I groaned softly while leaning back against my pillows. “Please don’t start.”

“I’m serious.”

“We’re colleagues. He’s my good friend”

Marco looked at me “You really like Zade”

The statement wasn’t a question.

I looked away toward the cloudy sky outside the window again.

“It doesn’t matter.” I murmured.

“It clearly matters.”

I stayed quiet, because the truth was painful. I liked Zade far more than I wanted to admit.

Marco sighed heavily before standing up from the chair and walking toward the window briefly. “I just don’t want you getting hurt again.”

My chest tightened slightly.

“I know.”

He looked back toward me. “You’ve already been through enough with Damien.”

At the mention of Damien, my emotions became complicated again. It wasn’t painful the way before. Just... distant.

The love I once had Damien no longer felt alive anymore. Somewhere along the way, everything between us had quietly died.

And deep down... we both knew it.

Marco returned to the chair beside my bed again.

“So,” he said calmly, changing the topic slightly. “Mother mentioned a family outing this weekend.”

I blinked slightly before remembering.

“Oh.” I said.

“You’re still attending, right?”

Honestly, I had completely forgotten about it.

Normally, family outings were exhausting because too many people attended, too many conversations happened, and too many expectations followed afterward. But right now, part of me strangely wanted the distraction.

“I’ll go,” I answered quietly.

Marco frowned “You’re still recovering.”

“I’m not dying.”

Marco nodded. “Fine. But don’t overexert yourself.”

I rolled my eyes “You sound like an overprotective father.”

“You should be grateful someone is sensible around you.”

That made me laugh softly again.

The room gradually became lighter after that. Marco stayed for almost another hour, occasionally complaining about hospital food while I teased him about looking uncomfortable around sick people.

Eventually, Patricia returned carrying coffee and nearly dropped the cups in shock after seeing Marco sitting casually beside me.

“You came voluntarily?” she asked dramatically.

Marco looked offended. “Why is everyone reacting like this?”

“Because you hate hospitals.”

“I dislike unnecessary suffering.”

Patricia rolled her eyes immediately.

For the first time in days, the atmosphere actually felt normal again.

And honestly... I needed that badly.

-

Later that night, the hospital became much quieter.

Most visitors had already gone home while only emergency staff remained active downstairs.

Patricia had finally fallen asleep on the small couch near the window after insisting she would stay overnight again.

Meanwhile, I lay awake in bed staring at the ceiling.

Something felt wrong. My body felt hotter again.

My wolf stirred restlessly inside me. I felt heat slowly spreading through my chest and limbs. At first I thought maybe I was just tired, but little by little, the familiar feverish ache returned.

“Oh no,” I whispered weakly.

My head started throbbing painfully. Even breathing felt heavier now.

My wolf whimpered softly because she hated when my body became weak like this.

I slowly pushed myself upright against the pillows while reaching toward the bedside table for water. My hands trembled slightly from weakness.

The room felt strangely blurry again.

Damn it.

I swallowed hard before reaching for the medicine nearby.

But before I could grab it properly, the ward door quietly opened.

I froze immediately when I saw who it was. Damien stepped inside carefully.

For a second, neither of us spoke.

What was he doing here?

He looked exhausted, like he hadn’t slept properly in days.

His eyes went wide when he noticed my flushed face.

“You have a fever again.” He said.

I looked away. “It’s fine.”

“It’s clearly not.”

Patricia stirred slightly on the couch but thankfully didn’t wake up.

Damien quietly walked toward my bed. He took the medicine bottle from the table. He then poured water into a cup.

Damien handed me the medicine gently. “Take it.”

I accepted it silently before swallowing the pills.

The fever made my entire body ache now.

Damien frowned while placing the back of his hand carefully against my forehead.

“You’re burning up again.”

His touch felt cool against my overheated skin.

Once upon a time, this exact situation would’ve comforted me deeply. Damien taking care of me used to make me feel safe naturally. Now it mostly just felt bittersweet.

He reached for the thermometer nearby before checking my temperature himself.

“You’re overworking yourself emotionally,” he muttered quietly.

I laughed weakly. “You sound like my doctor.”

“You practically are a patient right now.”

The room became quiet again afterward.

“Does Zade stay here often?” he asked.

The question caught me off guard.

My wolf instantly reacted at the mention of Zade’s name.

I forced my expression to remain cold.

“Why?”

Damien kept his eyes on the thermometer while answering quietly. “I’m asking.”

“He stayed before.”

Damien nodded like he expected that answer.

“He seems attached to you,” Damien said..

I looked away “That’s none of your concern anymore.”

Before either of us could continue, a phone suddenly vibrated loudly inside Damien’s coat pocket.

He frowned before pulling it out. The moment the screen lit up, I saw the name immediately.

Tiffany.

My wolf growled softly inside me.

Damien noticed my expression immediately and quickly silenced the call without answering.

The phone vibrated again almost immediately. Damien cursed softly under his breath before silencing it once more.

Then another message appeared. This one seemed urgent from the look on his face.

“I need to handle something downstairs,” he said seriously.

I nodded. “Go.”

He hesitated. He opened his mouth, like he wanted to say more like he didn’t want to leave me alone while I still had a fever.

But eventually, he stood. He adjusted the blanket around me.

“Call a nurse if your fever rises more,” he said softly.

“I will.”

His eyes stayed on my face for several long seconds.

Then finally...he walked away.

And once the door closed behind him, the room became silent again.