Page 203 of Nemesync
For her, always for her.
I drove back to the penthouse, trembling from fury and this protectiveness I feel about her.
Stepping inside, I found Zanae seated on the couch, completely absorbed in a book. Seeing her there, lost in her own little world, was everything I needed.
I stood in the doorway, watching her quietly, a small smile playing on my lips. She was so beautiful, with her eyes darting across the pages with so much peace. I didn’t feel the pain of my wounds, nor the heaviness in my chest, I wanted to touch her, to feel her, to kiss her and promise her that with me she will always be safe.
She looked up as I approached, her smile widening. But her expression immediately shifted when her eyes fell on the bloodstains on my shirt and the bruises on my hands. Concern flashed in those fiery irises, and she stood up, setting the book aside, “Elijah, what happened? Are you hurt? You’re covered in blood!”
I looked into her eyes, momentarily lost in their depths of the rich hazel color in them.
“You’re so beautiful, Zanae. Do I tell you that enough?” I spoke softly.
She touched my face gently, her fingertips grazing the bloodstains on my cheeks. “Elijah, talk to me. What happened?”
I managed a weak smile, “I took care of something. Nothing you need to worry about.”
She gently took my hand, examining the visible wounds on my knuckles. “Your hands, Elijah...”
I couldn’t help but smile at her worry. “It’s nothing, just a few scratches. I’ve had worse.”
“Let me take care of you,” she insisted, leading me towards the bathroom. “Sit down and let me heal those wounds, Volkov. It’s an order.”
I acquiesced, taking her hand in mine.
In the bathroom, Zanae turned on the faucet, the hot water running smoothly. She took a clean towel and gestured for me to sit on the edge of the bathtub. I listened to her without complaint.
She delicately began to clean the blood from my hands, her touch gentle and warm. At that moment, I couldn’t think of anything else but her.
She was taking care of me like no one ever had.
Of course, I would start a war for her, make this world a living hell if needed, just to ensure she remained safe and protected.
“Why did you come back home so early?” she asked, looking back at me with those compassionate eyes that hypnotize me.
“I wanted to see you.”
She offered me a soft chuckle. “I wasn’t going anywhere.”
She dabbed at my wounds with care, her fingertips tracing the contours of my cuts. “Do you have to go back?”
“No. They can survive without me for a few hours.”
“Well, Volkov, today is all about you and me. You’re under the care of Dr. Zanae now.”
I sat on the edge of the bathtub, watching her tender hands work their healing magic, the only sounds being her soft breaths and the running water around us.
“You didn’t have to do this, you know.”
She looked up, meeting my eyes. “Do what, Elijah?”
“Take care of me like this.”
No one ever did.
She smiled gently and warmly. “I care about you, more than I care about myself probably.”
I couldn’t bear the thought of this woman being kind to me.
