97

97
  Mason’s POV

"You really love being a hospital patient, don’t you, Selene? Even though you work here, you don’t seem to get tired of this.” I glare at her as she lies beautifully on the bed, before shifting my focus to Avery, who’s sitting beside her. 

My jaw tightens. The way Avery is staring at me feels like she might snap off my neck any time soon. 

I shift my gaze back to Selene. “Your best friend right here refused to tell me anything. She’s being a brat. She barely even let me step into the damn room! I had to force my way thro-"

I pause as Selene suddenly lets out a small cough. She blinks twice, and her lips part to speak, but before a word slips out, Avery chimes in

"That’s because you were causing a scene, Mason! You were acting like it was your wife in that hospital bed. You scared the hell out of the nurse..she thought you were about to lose it and attack her. What was I supposed to do?" She throws her hands up, then sighs dramatically.

That word—wife—makes me tense. I hate the way Avery says it, like I’m just some stranger with no right to be here. She never wants me near Selene.

And the thing is, I barely even know this girl, but she acts like I stole her kidney and sold it on the black market.

"You two, cut it out," Selene interrupts, making both of us turn to her. Her voice is weaker than usual, but there’s still that edge of authority in it. "I’m the one lying in this hospital bed, so whatever the hell is going on between you two…just drop it. 

She pauses for several seconds before turning fully to Avery. “Tell me what happened, Avery. The last thing I remember was being at a coffee shop with Neo. Where is he, by the way?"  

I frown.  

Neo? Who the hell is she talking about? Why was she at a coffee shop with some other guy when she just rejected me? Was she moving on that easily?  

"He’s coming," Avery says with a shrug. "Just stepped out to take a call." Then she leans in, grabbing Selene’s hands, her expression dark with worry. "You have no idea how scared I was. It’s a damn good thing he was with you, otherwise, you could have died right there. Selene, why the hell would you ingest so much belladonna? What were you thinking? Are you trying to kill yourself? This isn’t like you."  

Selene stiffens, confusion flickering across her face. Her wide eyes dart between Avery and me, fear creeping into them. She shakes her head.  

"What are you talking about?" Her voice wavers. "Why would I drink that? That’s not even my usual order. You know I always get an iced latte, and that’s exactly what the waiter brought me. But if Neo hadn’t been there..." Her breath hitches. "What would’ve happened to me?" She looks up, dazed, her mind racing. "Excess belladonna can kill someone… No wonder I was hallucinating. I kept seeing things at the café."  

Her voice trails off, and a chill runs down my spine.  

Something isn’t right.

I grip my shirt tightly. Whoever is trying to hurt Selene will have to go through me first. If they think they can just waltz into her life and take it away, they’re dead wrong. I’ll get to the bottom of this.  

But I already have a sneaking suspicion. Jess.  

Even though it doesn’t make sense. Jess couldn’t have known Selene would be at that café today. There’s no way she could have slipped poison into her drink at that exact moment.  

Unless… Selene has more than one enemy.  

The thought sends a fresh wave of anger through me, but I push it down and step closer to her, taking her hands in mine. 

Her eyes meet mine, tears brimming at the edges. I squeeze gently, a silent promise. I’m not letting go. I’ll be by your side, no matter what.  

I’m not sure Maximus is aware of what has happened to Selene, and I don’t intend telling him.

As long as I get to be the one by her side.

A satisfied smile tugs at the corner of my lips as I I lock my gaze on her beautiful ones for several seconds.. not until-

The door swings open.  

I take a step back and whirl around, seeing a young man step inside. He’s tall, undeniably good-looking, with a calm, almost reassuring presence. 

And then, he smiles at Selene.

What the hell? 

Fcking No! I 

don’t like the way he looks at her. I know that look!

It’s the look of a man in love.  

Could it be…

"You’re finally awake," he says, flashing her a warm smile. "You gave all of us a heart attack, Selene. It’s a good thing I was with you." He steps closer, voice gentle. "The poison’s out of your system now..you just need to focus on getting better. And I’ll be here every step of the way. You can count on me, Selene."

I frown as he leans in and presses a kiss to her cheek. 

What the fcking hell!

My hands clench into fists, but before I can say anything, Selene speaks up.

"Thank you so much, Neo. But don’t you we have to find the waiter who tried to kill me before he escapes?," she says urgently, her voice laced with fear. "He poisoned me….don’t let him get away. I need to understand why he did this. Why me? I don’t even know who he is."  

Neo tightens his grip on her hands, his expression calm, almost too calm. "That isn’t important right now," he says softly. "What matters is you getting better. We can sort everything else out later. Maybe it was intentional, maybe it wasn’t. Just try to relax."  

I scoff, disbelief crashing over me. Is he serious right now? Is this some kind of sick joke?  

"Are you even listening to yourself?" I snap, my voice sharp. 

Neo immediately turns to me and I see his eyebrows raised in surprise.  

"Why shouldn’t she be worried about someone who just tried to poison her?" I demand. "Not intentional? Are you out of your mind?!"  

I glare at him, anger boiling over. "I don’t even know who the hell let you in here, but get your hands off my best friend. Right now. You’re just a doctor..don’t overstep your boundaries."
The words spill out before I can stop myself. He’s getting on my damn nerves, touching Selene like he’s her boyfriend—or worse, her husband. That should be me, not him.  

Jealousy burns hot in my chest.  

"This is not the time for this, Mason," Avery says, exasperated, but I barely hear her. My eyes are locked on Neo, my fists clenching at my sides.  

"Come with me," she adds, trying to pull me away. "Neo is Selene’s friend. He has every right to be here. You should be thanking him."  

“Thanking him? Are you damn serious??!”

I don’t want any damn competition! Even if Selene has already rejected me. I thought she said she wasn’t ready for a relationship. 

So what the hell is she doing with this guy?  

I’m not going to lose.  

He’s not going to have her.  

Over my dead body will I let someone like him take Selene away from me. I lost her once..I’m not losing her again!