For a moment, Adam froze, as if caught off guard by my words. Then he gave a quiet nod, his usual calm demeanor returning.
I leaned back against the hospital bed, the sharp ache in my chest intensifying with every breath I took. When Adam kindly offered to contact the police on my behalf, I shook my head.
The Erickson Family was powerful—one of the most influential families in the city. Adam, despite his good intentions, would only bring trouble upon himself if he got involved. Moreover, if I couldn’t destroy them with one decisive blow, acting prematurely would only alert them to my plans.
Instead, he handed me a phone. I logged into my social account, needing to see the world outside this suffocating room.
The moment I opened the app, a new update from Melinda appeared at the top of my feed. She was lying on a hospital bed, her face glowing with health, while Zayn stood beside her, carefully feeding her porridge.
The caption read.
[Thank you to the most important person in my life. No matter what happens, you’ll always be by my side.]
And below, Zayn’s reply.
[Silly girl, you’re the most important person in my life too. I’ll protect you forever.]
