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“You’re bold coming in here, into my room to bitch at me after I nearly lost my life.”

“Do you even care at all?” she questioned, her arms crossing over her chest. “About Noah’s pain? And your role in causing it? Or are you just content because he risked himself to keep you here?”

The words stung and I couldn’t deny that. If she only knew how badly I tried, how much I willed my broken body to get up and protect him, perhaps she wouldn’t be as presumptuous. The memories of his screams haunt me to this day. But she wouldn’t know that. Because she wasn’t there.

Regardless, her spiteful attitude and condemning eyes were getting to me. My irritation quickly converted into rage. She had no right to question my feelings for Noah. She knew nothing about him. Or me.

“Careful,” I warned firmly. “You’re really starting to piss me off.”

Furthering my initial surprise, she walked even closer to my bed. She was standing over me.

“You’re weak in here. Small. You don’t scare me.”

She wasn’t wrong about the first half. I didn’t think my body had ever been in a place of more vulnerability. I was weak. My body had been torn into, misshapen, bruised.

But she was mistaking weakness for harmlessness. And she thought her confidence made her invincible.

“Tell me that again when I’m back on my feet,” I said quietly, holding her gaze.

That caused her to bristle. “I am not afraid of you anymore, Silas!”

I chuckled, and my body protested it immediately. The agony that flared through my torso begged me to stop. Still, I couldn’t help myself.

“That’s not smart,” I said. “You should be.”

Delane sneered—a look I’d never seen on her before. I was used to her fear, her anger, even her frustration towards me. This was different. She was not backing down. I wondered briefly if this was the Delane I would have been faced with, had Noah never turned into the alley that night.

“Why?” she shot back. “Because you’ll try to hurt me again?”

My eyes narrowed. “I couldn’t give less of a shit about you.”

She stepped forward, closer. “Because you want Noah.”

“Because I have Noah.” My anger was rising by the second. I tore the blood pressure cuff from my arm before it could betray me and send the nurses rushing in. “Let’s get this straight. I never wanted you.”

Her eyes were daggers. But she knew. Had to. It was never because I wanted something I couldn’t have.

“Hell, I’m here because I couldn’t just fuck you and be done with it!”

“How long?” she growled, her voice raising in volume.

“What do you mean, how long? You women, all you do is talk in fucking codes.”

“How long have you been seeing Noah?”

That’s when it hit me. She really didn’t know. She hadn’t a clue in the fucking world.

Well, I was getting ready to ruin her.

“I want you to look closely at me when I say this,” I lowered my voice. “We never stopped.”

Delane stumbled back, hand shooting upwards to her mouth. Her mind was working, I could see the panicked look in her eyes. “You’re lying,” she whispered.

“What use is there to lie?” I questioned with a pitiful shrug. “Better to just put you out of your misery now.”

Delane started up a pace from one corner of my room to the next. She was fuming.

“Put me out of my misery? He’s been with me too, Silas! Do you not understand how fucked this is?”