Chapter 20 A Line Drawn
That small gesture didn’t escape Sarah’s eyes.
“Thank you.”
She looked up at him with a softened expression. Her brows relaxed, and when she smiled, her eyes curved into gentle crescents–so lovely that the man in front of her froze for a moment.
The next few days passed quietly in the hospital.
Grayson had arranged for round–the–clock care, and the nurse aide attended to Sarah’s every need without complaint.
On the day she was discharged, Sarah asked the aide to complete the paperwork. She planned to leave on her
own.
But just as she opened the door to her room, someone appeared at the entrance.
Grayson
“Mr. Grayson? What are you doing here?”
“I wasn’t sure you were fully recovered, so I came to take you home.”
Grayson reached out naturally, taking her bag from her hand with his long, steady fingers.
“Thanks.”
Sarah’s ankle was still wrapped in a white bandage, and her walking was slow and cautious. Grayson matched her pace without a word.
As they reached the hospital parking lot, a familiar voice called out.
“Sarah.”
She turned her head and frowned slightly as two familiar faces came into view.
Shane and Nora.
The moment Shane saw the man standing beside her, the smile in his eyes vanished. His gaze turned cold, his expression hard and unreadable, his tone dark and simmering.
“Grayson.”
“Mr. Shane. Small world.” Grayson’s gaze flicked past Shane and Nora, a flash of mockery in his eyes and a faint, cool smile at his lips. “Quite the charmer, I see.”
The atmosphere instantly turned tense, the air thick with unspoken hostility.
Shane’s eyes returned to Sarah, laced with anger behind the polite tone: “Sarah, why are you with him?”
Sarah didn’t respond. She lowered her gaze–and suddenly, she laughed.
Not, “Are you okay?” Not, “Why are you at the hospital?” But-“Why are you with him?”
3:52 PM
Chapter 20 A Line Drawn
He never cared about her–only about what he thought he owned.
It wasn’t worry. It was possessiveness.
Funny, she’d never once asked why he was with Nora,
Her eyes turned colder, but she said nothing.
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Seeing this, Nora piped up with a soft, seemingly guilty voice. “Don’t be mad, Sarah… I just hurt my hand, and Shane insisted on bringing me in for a checkup…”
As she spoke, she lifted her left hand and pointed to a faint mark on the back of it.
There was indeed a scratch.
But it was barely noticeable–you’d miss it entirely if you didn’t look closely.
Sarah’s gaze passed over the wound, her expression growing colder still.
So that’s love? A tiny scratch becomes a full–blown drama when it’s someone you care about?
“If we were any later, it might’ve already healed.”
Grayson’s low voice brushed past her ear.
Sarah turned and saw the flicker of amusement in his eyes–cool, casual, and laced with sarcasm.
Nora’s face instantly darkened.
Shane’s brows furrowed deeply, his eyes locked onto Sarah with intensity, emotions boiling just beneath the surface.
She and Grayson stood close, perfectly matched—his tall, composed figure beside her gentle one. Sarah, like a timid little rabbit, was half–hidden behind Grayson’s shoulder.
Letting him stand in front. Letting him protect her.
So intimate. So natural.
Jealousy ignited and flared through Shane like wildfire, burning away the last of his composure.
After a pause, he laughed bitterly, masking his fury with a patronizing smile. He stretched out his hand to her like coaxing a child. “Sarah, come here.”
Sarah kept her head down, unmoving.
Then Shane’s gaze dropped, and for the first time, he noticed the bandage around her ankle.
His expression shifted. He stepped forward. “When did you get hurt? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Sarah instinctively stepped back, widening the space between them.
Everyone present could feel the distance in her withdrawal.
Shane froze, his voice turning sharp. “Stop being stubborn. You’re hurt–this isn’t the time to be difficult. Come home with me.”
Still. Sarah didn’t move.
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Chapter 20 A Line Drawn
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She looked at him–really looked at him. The concern, the anger, the urgency all painted across his familiar features.
Two years ago, she would have been deeply moved. She might have believed he truly cared.
But not anymore.
Not after everything.
Shane’s face darkened. He stepped forward again, hand outstretched–only to be blocked.
A strong arm slid between them.
Grayson.
His voice was low and cold, his presence suddenly overwhelming.
