Page 89 of Reclaimed By My Ex’s Bratva Brother

The door closed. Just me left in the room. I stared at the clear liquid dripping. One drop, then another.

Time crawled maddeningly slow. Through the horizontal glass panel in the wall, I could clearly see figures moving in the corridor. Orderlies pushing equipment, doctors carrying charts.

When that flash of silver-gray hair passed by the glass, my heart tightened before my brain caught up. Varlam had changed out of his soaked shirt. His hair was still damp, his profile exhausted and hard. Several doctors followed behind, explaining something.

He couldn't see me, yet I held my breath. He stopped in front of the room across from mine and pushed through the door. After that, he never came back out.

I'd seen his coldness clearly, yet I couldn't stop focusing on him. He shouldn't affect me like this—at least not after I'd seen him for what he was. He shouldn't occupy any space in my heart anymore.

My IV bag was changed twice. A nurse brought soup. I only managed two sips before setting it down. My stomach was empty, but my chest felt too full to swallow even water.

After everything that happened, I was exhausted, but when I closed my eyes, sleep wouldn't come.

Around midnight, two nurses came to check on me. The older one monitored my blood pressure while the younger changed my medication.

"Is that man still across the hall?" Their voices stayed low.

"He's been there the whole time."

The younger nurse sucked in a breath.

"He's so handsome. The intimidating kind."

"Keep your voice down."

"I'm just stating facts. His girlfriend is beautiful too."

My fingers curled beneath the blanket.

"He treats her so well." The young nurse continued. "After she woke up, she wouldn't eat anything. He fed her himself. Held the water glass too. The doctor said she needed rest, so he wouldn't even let the phone ring at her door."

I opened my eyes, pushing down the sting.

"Rich men being nice to their girlfriends for two days isn't worth getting emotional over."

"But he hasn't left her side once. Earlier she just coughed twice, and he called the doctor immediately."

The older nurse finally noticed my open eyes and nudged her colleague's arm. The younger nurse shut her mouth and smiled awkwardly at me.

"Sorry, did we wake you?"

"No."

My voice came out calmer than I expected. They quickly finished the exam, changed my medication, and left. As the door closed, I looked across the hall. Through two layers of glass, I couldn't see anything except a line of warm light beneath the door.

Varlam was behind that light. Giving her water, feeding her, calling doctors when she coughed.

And I had no one. I bit my lip, refusing to cry. The tears fell anyway. The seawater had left my lungs but seemed to linger deeper in my body, needing to drain through tears.

When the door opened again, I quickly wiped the wetness from my face.

A doctor entered, holding a report, his expression more serious than the nurses'.

"Miss Cox?"

I tried to sit up. He came over and raised the head of the bed.

"Don't strain yourself. How are you feeling?"