The sharpness in his words was unmistakable. Emily Blair frowned. “What nonsense are you spouting now?"

Tristan Davis stared at her for a long moment, as if trying to decipher whether she was lying. Then he let out a cold, ambiguous laugh. "Did I say something wrong? I've come here twice, and both times he's been here. You'd think that during a time when you need comfort-when your relationship could improve-Andrew Lane would be the one missing. So why is he always around?"

Emily's frown deepened. “Tristan, it's not what you think between me and him. Do you even hear yourself?"

The words came out harsh and unfiltered.

As soon as they left her mouth, Emily regretted it. She had just been reminding herself to be kinder to Tristan, and now, in a blink, they were butting heads again, right on the verge of another argument.

She glanced at him, taking in the cold, detached look on his face, then drew a slow breath, forcing herself to soften her tone. "Can't we just have a normal conversation, Tristan?"

His expression didn't change. "A normal conversation? You mean about why you were in Andrew Lane's arms? Or maybe why you went for a walk with him and made sure I saw it?"

Emily's temper flared her brows drew together again.

But this time, instead of snapping back, she silently counted to ten, reigning herself

in.

She finally said, "It's not what you think between us.”

Tristan shot back immediately, "Then explain it to me."

He sounded wounded.

Deeply wounded.

He didn't want to use the fact that he'd stayed at the hospital for three days to win Emily's sympathy. He didn't want to use that to chase after her. But after Emily woke up, her first instinct was to "send him away." She met Andrew Lane behind his back, let Andrew hold her, went downstairs for a walk with him, and even made sure Tristan saw it, as if to flaunt it.

Tristan couldn't take it. He genuinely couldn't.

Why did Emily treat him like this, and Andrew so differently?

Emily's eyes softened. "I didn't ask Andrew to hold me. Earlier today, I nearly slipped off my chair. Andrew caught me so I didn't fall-you just happened to walk in and see that. If you'd arrived a second later, I'd have already let go of him."

Tristan stared. "And?"

She explained, patiently this time. "I didn't go downstairs with him because I wanted to spend time with him. I kept waiting for you, saw you downstairs through the window, but my nurse was gone and I needed help. Andrew was the only one there. That's why I asked him."

"I went down to find you, but you'd already left," Emily finished. "After you were gone, I went back upstairs. There wasn't any walk, not really."

Emily noticed, with every word she spoke, Tristan's expression visibly softened—like watching sunlight melt frost. By the time she finished, he looked practically radiant, his bright eyes sparkling, almost grinning from ear to ear.

"You went down just to find me?”

Was he mollified already?

Emily wondered, then nodded. "Yes. But you left. You didn't even say goodbye."

Tristan looked like an overgrown puppy, only missing a fluffy tail wagging so hard it could lift him off the ground.