Page 65 of Bleed with Me

“She lived with an abuser.” He squeezed the empty glass as if he wanted to smash it with his bare hand. “She knows the signs.”

My stomach clenched. Every time someone reminded me of what Valeria went through with her ex-husband, I wanted to break something. If we just weren’t so fucking blind…

“What are you planning to do?” I leaned over the table to grab my phone, noticing texts from Melody. My wife still hadn’t bothered to message me.

“I don’t have a plan,” Zyon replied. He looked worn out, like the weight of the entire world was on his shoulders. “But I won’t risk another woman going through the same experience as Valeria when I can prevent it.” He looked me directly in the eye, the resoluteness in his voice palpable. “If Malin finds something that confirms Valeria’s words, there won’t be any arrangement with Carlile and Valentino.”

“Look at you. Growing a conscience, Your Highness?” I teased, but the smile froze on my lips when his face contorted with sadness.

“I held Valeria in my arms for three months while she cried, screamed, and kicked in her sleep,” he whispered, his gaze resting on the bouquet of black dahlias decorating the table, though he clearly didn’t see them. “Ninety-seven days. That’s how long it took before she slept through the night.” His dark eyes found mine, the faint shine of moisture in them catching me off guard. “No one deserves that. Valentino or not, that woman will not suffer because of my plans.”

-33-

Dorian

The ride to work was unexpectedly long. Usually, I sped down the highway as if the police were chasing me with a warrant, but this time, my mind stayed on Valeria’s pale face and Zyon’s surprising lack of urgency.

It wasn’t my place to stick my nose into their relationship, but I knew my brother. Something serious had to have happened between them if he wasn’t throwing her over his shoulder and bringing her in for a check-up.

Making a mental note to call Valeria in the morning to ask if her stomach improved, I parked my brand-new Jaguar in the hospital parking lot. Scanning the darkness for a brief second out of habit, I walked toward the back entrance and slipped inside.

The hall welcomed me with a familiar smell of disinfectant that instantly soothed my overthinking mind. It was like a medicine that calmed down my system while the white hospital halls seemed to shrink around me.

Gently opening the door into Aryna’s room, the tension in my shoulders immediately loosened when my gaze landed on the small body on the bed. Blonde hair stuck out from under the thick bandage on her forehead, and the dressing on her forearm looked brand new. A frown formed as I took her chart and checked the procedures.

The arm had to be stitched again, but why?

“She tore out the stitches,” came the answer to my unsaid question, and I whipped my head toward the door. Melody walked inside, holding a silver plate with disinfectant, gloves, medical tape, and bandages. “I had to sedate her to be able to work.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled, turning toward my little patient. My chest tightened that I wasn’t with her when it happened. “What about her abdomen?”

“Look for yourself.”

Melody handed me a pair of gloves and pushed the blanket and Aryna’s pajamas aside, uncovering the soaked dressing. Tenderly, I took it off, revealing the long, swollen incision. The whole surgery flashed before my eyes in one quick memory, reminding me how close she was to leaving this world.

Focusing on work, my hands moved automatically as I changed the bandage and made sure she wouldn’t remove it easily. I used more tape than ever to secure it, feeling Melody’s gaze burning holes in my face. She knew I didn’t have a shift tonight, yet I showed up anyway because I couldn’t sleep unless I checked on my little angel.

I spent every free moment in her room. Sometimes I read her short tales I found online; other times, I just shared funny stories from my life with Malin and Zyon when we were kids, and my main goal was to annoy the last fuck out of them. She slept through most of that. Her eyes opened only once, hours after the surgery, and since then, we kept her on medication to speed up the recovery. So, when she had woken up and I hadn’t been there, it felt like a punch in the gut, but at least Melody was around to keep an eye on her.

“Are you staying?” Melody asked, breaking my train of thought, as she tossed her gloves into the bin.

“No.” I shook my head as I checked the other bandages. “I need to prepare for two minor surgeries at the clinic and finish the report for the social services about her.”

I adjusted the blanket and straightened to my full height, finally facing Melody’s scowling face.

“Still no visitors?” She tried to mask the sadness in her voice, but my ears detected the strain in her tone.

“Her foster father called,” I replied, involuntarily clenching my fist. “Asking if they’ll still receive the money while she’s in hospital.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Melody stared at me in disbelief. “She almost died.”

“He didn’t seem to mind.” I shrugged, pretending it was no big deal, but my blood boiled every time I recalled that phone call. The fucker had the audacity to tell me he didn’t agree to any medical treatment; therefore, he wouldn’t be paying for it. If he was standing before me, I would smash his idiotic head against the nearest surface.

“And the social worker will return her there like it’s no big deal,” Melody ground out, casting one last look at Aryna before following me outside. “This world is fucked up.”

My friend’s words echoed in my mind as I packed the medical reports and scans to study at home the next day. Aryna’s unfortunate fate had bothered me since I met her. Somehow, she meant more to me than just an injured kid I saved. I was pulled to her by an inexplicable force, ready to protect her against anyone and everything.

Her frightened look was burned into my memory. Every time I recalled those glassy blue eyes full of pain and fear, my chest squeezed. A lot of kids stared at me like that. Throughout my career, I’d performed many surgeries and life-saving procedures in the ER for children even younger than her. But this was different. I didn’t understand how or why, but if anyone dared to hurt my little angel, I would start breaking bones.