Chapter 191 Care
Chapter 19 I Care
Kyle’s POV
+25 BONUS
I pushed Mia away, but the trembling of her body beneath my hands lingered like an accusation. The hospital room’s fluorescent lights cast harsh shadows across her face, highlighting the dark circles under her eyes, the hollow cheeks that spoke of too many sleepless nights. The sight of her- this woman who had always faced me with quiet strength now reduced to desperate bargaining – stirred something painful in my chest.
She swayed slightly as I released her, vulnerable in a way that made my throat tight. Where was the fire that usually sparked in those green eyes when she challenged me? The subtle defiance in her chin when she disagreed with my decisions? This wasn’t my Mia. Not the woman who’d always greeted me with soft smiles, whose love had been a constant I’d taken for granted.
“What are you doing?” The words came out harsher than I intended, laced with an anger I didn’t fully understand. Seeing her debase herself like this – it felt wrong. Fundamentally wrong.
“Isn’t this what you want?” Her bitter laugh held no trace of the warmth I’d grown accustomed to. “I honor the contract. You pay me. That’s how this works, isn’t it?”
“Stop it.” My hands clenched at my sides.
“Why?” Her voice cracked. “Isn’t this what I am to you? An investment? A business arrangement?”
Something inside me recoiled at her words. “You’re my wife,” I growled, the possessiveness in my voice surprising even me.
You’re not a whore.”
“Your wife?” Another hollow laugh. “Is that what you call this? This cage you’ve built around me?”
“Mia-”
“No, let me finish.” Her hands trembled as she straightened her blouse – a nervous gesture I’d seen a thousand times but never really noticed before. “You want obedience? Submission? Fine. I’ll be whatever you need me to be. Just… just save her.”
She didn’t meet my eyes, her next words barely a whisper. “If only you could save my mother…”
The raw desperation in her tone made my chest ache. There was a chasm between us filled with misunderstandings and unspoken words. I wanted to bridge it, to explain… what? That seeing her like this hurt in ways I couldn’t comprehend? That her submission felt like a betrayal of everything she was?
“Your mother will receive the best care,” I said, my voice rougher than intended.
“At what price?” She finally looked up, tears making her eyes luminous.”
“I’m trying to help.”
“Are you? Or are you just securing your investment?”
Her words hit like physical blows. I stepped closer, drawn by some force I couldn’t name.
Looking at her now – pale, exhausted, shadows under her eyes that spoke of sleepless nights – concern clawed at my throat. When was the last time she’d truly rested? Since losing the babies? Before?
“When did you last sleep?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.
She blinked, surprised by the sudden change in topic. “What?”
“Sleep. You look…” Beautiful. Broken. Haunting.“.
“…exhausted.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. Nothing about this is fine.”
She swayed again, fatigue evident in every line of her body. The urge to gather her close, to offer comfort, was almost
Chapter 19 I Care
overwhelming. Instead, I stepped back, maintaining the distance that had always defined us.
+25 BONUS
“You need to go home,” I said, my tone coming out more commanding than caring. Always more commanding than caring with her. “The doctors will look after your mother.”
“I can’t leave her.”
“You can barely stand.”
“I don’t care.”
“Well, I do!” The words exploded from me, making us both freeze
The silence that followed felt thick enough to cut. Mia stared at me something like wonder mixing with her exhaustion. “Since when?”
I couldn’t answer that. Couldn’t explain the growing discomfort in my chest every time I saw her pain. Instead, I turned to
practicalities. “Driver,” I called, my voice clipped. “Take Mrs. Branson home.”
“Kyle-”
“This isn’t a discussion.”
“It never is with you, is it?” The bitterness was back in her voice. “Always orders. Always control.”
The moment she left, I was on the phone with my assistant. “Find me the best neurological specialists in the country. Price is no object. I want the top three options on my desk within the hour.”
I had to fix this. Had to save Mia’s mother. Not because of her desperate bargain, but because the alternative – watching her crumble as she lost another person she loved – was unthinkable.
My phone buzzed. Taylor. Her name on the screen sparked irritation rather than the warmth it once had.
“The wounds are worse,” she complained immediately. “It’s Mia
“Where are you?” I cut her off, suppressing my growing impatience.
“At the hospital. Won’t you come see me? Like you used to when we were children, remember?
“I’m working.”
“But Kyle, baby-”
“I’ll stop by later.” The lie came easily now.
11
When I did visit her room. She wore an outfit eerily similar to Mia’s – the same soft blue shade, the same delicate cut. The imitation felt so wrong.
“Have you decided?” she purred, reaching for me. “About leaving her? You’ve seen how vicious she is, how manipulative-”
“Enough, Taylor.” My voice cut through her accusations. “You should focus on your recovery now.”
The flash of anger in her eyes was quickly masked by practiced vulnerability. But I was already turning away, my thoughts just returning to Mia. To the broken look in her eyes as she offered herself as currency. To the way something inside me had shattered at the sight.
I needed to fix this. I needed to understand why seeing her break had felt like breaking myself.
She was my wife.
My wife.
And for the first time since signing that contract three years ago, I wondered if maybe, just maybe, that word meant more than I’d been willing to admit.
