Lemira rubbed her throbbing forehead, glaring at him. "What are you doing?"

Orion held his jaw, taking a long moment before opening his eyes to look at her, his gaze heavy and unreadable.

She immediately broke eye contact. "Since you're awake, you can leave."

She was still furious. How dare he make a sick person play nurse for him?

Orion frowned. "Where is Julian?"

"He bolted."

Lemira crossed her arms. "Your assistants aren't answering their phones. Completely unprofessional."

And Thad was no better. He had promised to come right over and still hadn't shown his face.

Orion sat up and smoothly pulled the IV needle from his hand. A bead of blood welled up on his skin.

Lemira caught a glimpse of it but forced herself to look away, swallowing the urge to check on him.

Whatever. The guy used to have medical training-he knew how to handle a tiny scratch.

Orion stole a quiet glance at her. "I'm leaving."

His voice was hoarse, thick with congestion.

Lemira stayed silent, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the wall.

He hesitated by the door. "I'll have Bistrova send over some food for you later."

"Don't bother. If I'm hungry, I'll order delivery. I'm not going to starve to death." She finally stood up and looked him dead in the eye, her expression entirely unreadable. "Leave. Don't come back, and don't contact me again."

For a second, Orion felt like the air had been violently sucked from the room.

He stood frozen in place for a long, agonizing moment before finally turning and walking out of the apartment.

The heavy thud of the door closing echoed in the quiet room. Instantly, tears spilled over Lemira's lashes. She dropped her head into her hands and let out a broken sob, the sound growing louder as the dam finally broke.

All the betrayal, the fear, and the heartbreak she had been holding onto poured out at once.

Standing on the other side of the heavy door, Orion heard her weeping. It felt as though a brutal hand was crushing his heart.

Listening to her broken sobs was sheer agony-worse than any physical torture he could imagine.

It tore him apart.

He stood there in the quiet hallway

for a long time until her cryingē eventually faded, and the soft padding of her footsteps

disappeared into the bedroom. Only

then did he finally walk away.

When Orion stepped out of the building, Julian immediately rushed over. "Boss."

Orion shot him a lethal glare. "Why didn't you answer her calls?"

Julian swallowed hard. "I thought playing the sympathy card might soften her up."

He had only been trying to help his boss salvage his relationship.

Orion's expression turned glacial. "Don't ever take matters into your own hands again. She is still recovering from a fever."

The thought of her dragging herself around to take care of him while she was sick twisted his gut with guilt.

Julian lowered his head. "Understood."

He had just seen how explosive their fight had been and thought forcing them into the same room might spark a reconciliation Clearly, fixing this mess was going to take a lot more than a clever trick.

Orion pinched the bridge of his nose and stepped out into the biting autumn wind, his broad shoulders carrying a heavy, desolate weight.

Upstairs, Lemira stood by her bedroom window, watching his tall silhouette emerge from the building and vanish into the night. Her throat tightened so much she could barely breathe.

She slid down the wall and sat on the floor for a long time.

A soft chime broke the silence. Her phone lit up with a text.

Dragging her feet, she walked over and saw a message from Orion: *Remember to eat. Take care of yourself.*

She stared at the words, scoffing. As if she cared about his fake concern now.

But he was right about one thing. She needed to get her strength back.

She had a brutal war ahead of her, and she needed to be ready.

Opening a food delivery app, she randomly selected a few comforting dishes. She couldn't just rely on Stella and Caleb to bring her leftovers every night.

Not long after, there was a knock at the door.

It was only after she took her

medication and opened the containers that she realized this

wasn't standard takeout. The

exquisite plating and familiar flavors betonged entirely to Bistrova.

The food had just been cleverly repackaged in generic delivery bags.

Staring at the delicious porridge she loved so much, she recalled noticing earlier that Bistrova wasn't even listed on the delivery app.

She didn't need to be a genius to figure out who had arranged this.

Thinking about all the lies he had spun, she felt a flare of anger, but she sat down and ate every last bite anyway.

She slept soundly through the night, waking up the next morning feeling much more like herself.