Chapter 222
Across the garden, Irene walked into Adam’s study, medical bag in hand. She switched gears instantly, doctor mode engaging like flipping a switch.
“Brandon all tucked in?” Adam asked, aiming for casual but missing by a mile.
“Out like a light,” she said, laying out her equipment. “Big baby need his rest after that tantrum.”
Something flickered in Adam’s eyes at Brandon’s name–there for a heartbeat, then gone.
Her hands moved over his legs with practiced efficiency, checking reflexes and muscle tone. “You’re making solid progress. Keep up the exercises and we might need to revise our timeline. In a good wa
“Wouldn’t have gotten this far without you,” he said quietly.
She waved him off. “Don’t sell yourself short. Most people would’ve given up months ago.”
As she worked, she couldn’t help comparing. “The way you handle pain makes Brandon look even worse. The man crashed a race car at ungodly speeds without this much drama.”
Adam’s laugh was unexpected, a rich sound rarely heard. “Those walls are thinner than you’d think.”
Trene packed her things, trying to ignore how the evening light softened his usually sharp features. “Early night tonight. Doctor’s
orders.”
Adam caught her gaze, pausing like someone about to take a big risk “Irene,” he said finally, his voice different somehow. “Thank you. Not just for this. For everything.”
“What are friends for?” she said with a smile.
Something changed in his expression at the word “friends“-like a shadow passing over.
“Right,” he agreed. “Friends.”
After she left, Adam stood by the window, watching her walk across the garden. It hit him suddenly–he was standing. Not holding onto anything, not bracing against furniture. Just standing, muscles shaking slightly with the effort.
A small victory that felt monumental.
Later, sinking into a steaming bath, he closed his eyes. But instead of focusing on his therapy, his mind filled with Irene her concentration face, the tiny smile that appeared when she was pleased with his progress, the way she tucked hair behind her ear when thinking
Friends.
The word echoed, leaving a hollow feeling in its wake. When had that stopped being enough? When had he started counting the
hours between her visits?
Why did hearing her name alongside Brandon’s create that spike of irritation? Why did he find himself arching for excuses to prolong their time together?
Much
Water dripped from his hand as he gripped the edge of the tub. The truth hit him with startling clarity: he wanted more. Much
more.
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Chapter 222
Rising from the bath, Adam stood before the mirror, studying himself with new eyes. Leaning against nothing, he managed five full seconds of independent stand ng.
Would things change if he could walk again? If he could meet her as an equal, not a man in need of her professional skills?
“What would she see,” he whispered to his reflection, “if I wasn’t her patient? Would she see the man instead of the medical case?”
His fingertips touched the slowly strengthening muscles of his thigh determination hardening in his eyes.
Walking wasn’t just about mobility anymore. It was about crossing the invisible line she’d drawn–the professional boundary that kept him firmly in the “patient” category.
Every step forward in his recovery pushed him closer to that line. The day would come when he could stand before her without weakness, without need. Not as Patient, Zero in her medical records, but as Adam Haven, the man who couldn’t get her out of his
mind.
And when that day came, he’d finally ask the question that burned in him whenever she walked through his door.
And he’d do whatever it took to make it happen.
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