The ride to the hospital stretched longer than it should have, each passing second cloaked in silence that thickened the air between them. Halle kept her gaze pinned to the window, watching the world blur by in streaks of early morning light and city movement. Zade didn't say a word—and for that, she was grateful. Her chest still ached from the confrontation at the basement.
She didn't need to ask how he knew where she worked. He had shown up at her apartment without warning—of course he knew. He probably knew everything.
When the sleek black car finally slowed outside the hospital gates, Halle felt the tension in her shoulders ease slightly. But just as her hand reached for the door handle, his voice broke the silence.
"I'll be waiting," he said calmly, yet beneath his tone was a blade. "And let's hope you don't try to run again, Halle. You know I'll find you."
She didn't dignify him with a response. With a tight jaw and clenched fingers, she stepped out into the soft morning light. The sunlight didn't warm her. She felt eyes on her—strangers passing by, perhaps intrigued by the car that looked like it belonged out of place. She kept her head low. Thank God none of her coworkers were around to see.
Her shift began with a code blue in the ICU. An elderly man in his eighties had gone into cardiac arrest. She jumped into action, her mind focusing sharply on compressions, vitals, and medication dosages. Every time she worked, it felt like stepping into another world—one where she didn't have time to feel or think about the wreckage of her personal life. Here, lives depended on her presence, her focus, and her strength.
After the man was stabilized and moved, she washed her hands in silence, staring at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. Her green eyes looked tired. Her golden hair was pulled back in a tight bun, but a few strands had slipped free, curling around her temple. She looked like a stranger in her own skin.
"Halle, we need you in Room 412. The patient's O2 stats are dipping again."
The voice snapped her back to reality. She nodded, grabbed a chart, and made her way down the corridor.
"Hey, Campbell," her colleague Tara called as she passed. The older nurse was sipping coffee from a paper cup, dark circles under her eyes. "You good? You look like you've been steamrolled."
"Just tired. Long night." She offered a weak smile and kept walking.
The hours blurred together—monitoring patients, inserting IVs, checking ventilators, adjusting meds, giving comfort to crying family members. She welcomed the exhaustion. It dulled the anxiety gnawing at her stomach. And yet, despite her wish for time to freeze within these sterile halls, the sun began to set.
And with the fall of night came the return of reality. Of him.
She inhaled deeply as she passed by the break room, where two nurses were laughing over something on a phone.
~~~
Her shoes echoed lightly as she walked down the hallway and pushed through the hospital's main doors. The outside air hit her instantly—warm, dry, and laced with the faint scent of tarmac and blooming jacarandas nearby. It wasn't exactly refreshing, but at least it was unfiltered.
As she stepped past the gate, her hand shielding her eyes from the glaring afternoon sun, she heard a familiar voice.
"Hi, Halle."
She turned to find Javier beside her, walking at an easy pace. He was dressed in a navy T-shirt and jeans. His curly hair looked slightly wind-tousled and there was a casual charm about him that always made people stop and smile.
"You're off early," he added, glancing at her.
"Not really," she said with a half-smile. "I'm was actually covering someone today."
"Unlucky you," he said with a playful nudge of his shoulder against hers. "How is this life taking you?"
She let out a dry laugh. "Don't remind me."
They continued walking slowly down the path just beyond the hospital gates, the rhythm of their steps relaxed, almost grounding.
"Is it just me or is the heat a little bit too extra?" Javier asked dramatically, wiping nonexistent sweat from his brow. "I feel like my skin's frying."
She laughed genuinely this time, her body lightening just a little. "You're so dramatic."
"Yeah, well, a man's got to vent. Anyway," he glanced at her sideways, "want to grab a coffee? It's still too early to go home and stew in the heat. I'm buying."
It was a sweet offer—innocent, friendly—but her attention had already drifted. Zade's car was there, gleaming darkly a few feet ahead. Even from this distance, it felt like it was watching her.
Her smile faded slightly. "I wish I could, but I have a… meeting," she said, choosing her words carefully.
Javier didn't press. He just nodded and gave her a quick grin. "Rain check then. But don't dodge me next time."
She chuckled softly. "I won't."
They parted ways at the edge of the sidewalk, and she steeled herself before approaching the vehicle.
Zade hadn't stepped out. Of course he hadn't. He never played by normal rules. She could see his silhouette behind the wheel, cool and still, like a predator at rest.
She walked straight to the passenger's side and pulled open the door.
Sliding into the seat, she didn't even look at him as she said, "Take me to my house. I need to change."
He didn't respond right away. The tension simmered in the silence. Then finally, he said:
"No."
Her jaw tightened. Was he serious?!
She sighed, slumping back into the seat. She was too exhausted to argue.
~~~
The city slid past in a blur of sun-bleached buildings and restless traffic, the low hum of the engine filling the silence between them. They had been driving for over ten minutes when Halle finally broke the silence, her voice soft but edged with suspicion.
"Where are you taking me?"
Zade didn't look at her immediately. His hands stayed firm on the wheel, his posture relaxed yet purposeful. Only after a pause did he turn his head just slightly, the faintest smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"To where I'm staying," he said simply, as if that explained everything.
"You have a place here?" she asked, brow furrowing.
"No. I just rented a place."
Did he just rented iut a place to come and destroy her peace?
The rest of the journey stretched into another long, heavy ten minutes. She kept her eyes on the world rushing by outside her window, the late afternoon sunlight catching on glass storefronts and busy sidewalks. Every so often, without meaning to, she'd glance at him.
Zade looked maddeningly composed — the kind of composed that came with knowing you had control. The sharp cut of his jaw carried the shadow of a beard, the kind that seemed to exist solely to tempt fingertips. His obsidian eyes, when she'd caught them earlier, were both unreadable and intrusive, as though they could strip her thoughts bare. The dark strands of his hair, effortlessly tousled, brushed just past his brow, and even from this close she could smell that faint, intoxicating cologne that had lingered in her memories far longer than she'd ever admit.
When she realised she'd been staring, she quickly turned back toward the window, as if the crowded street outside had suddenly become fascinating.
The car slowed as they pulled into a gated driveway, gliding past a tall building whose sleek glass façade reflected the fading sun. It screamed wealth and exclusivity. Expensive cars were parked along the front, a doorman in a pressed uniform standing at attention.
Halle stayed in her seat even after Zade stepped out. He circled around, opening her door with the ease of someone who expected obedience.
When he extended his hand for her to take, she shook her head. "I'll be fine."
His lips curved into something sly, the kind of look that was half amusement, half challenge. "Suit yourself, princess. But don't trip and ruin those pretty legs before we get upstairs."
Her spine stiffened instantly. Infuriating man. She slid out of the seat on her own, brushing past him with a glare that only seemed to deepen his smirk.
As they headed inside, she walked a single step behind him. The contrast between them was impossible to ignore — her jeans and simple top felt painfully plain next to the clean lines of his tailored designer clothes. Everything about him screamed deliberate perfection, while she looked like someone who had wandered in from another world.
He didn't even bother with the reception desk. Instead, he headed straight for the elevators, pulling a sleek black card from his pocket and swiping it with an almost careless flick. The polished doors slid open, and she stepped inside after him, the enclosed space pressing the air tighter between them.
The ride to the sixth floor was wordless, though she could feel his gaze on her — not constant, but there, lingering, like a touch just out of reach.
The elevator opened to a quiet corridor, carpeted thick enough to swallow footsteps. He led her to the very end, another card swipe unlocking the double doors.
And then she stepped inside.
The breath she didn't realise she was holding caught in her chest. This wasn't just a hotel room — it was an entire penthouse suite. Floor-to-ceiling windows bathed the space in golden light, the city sprawling endlessly beyond them. Plush furniture in shades of cream and charcoal was arranged with perfect symmetry. A glass staircase curved upward to a lofted second level, and somewhere beyond she caught the gleam of a marble kitchen. The air itself smelled faintly of leather, wood, and something expensive she couldn't name.
Halle had tasted luxury before. But this… this was another level entirely.
She stepped further inside almost without thinking, her eyes darting over the artwork on the walls, the fresh flowers in crystal vases, the subtle warmth in the lighting.
The sound of the door clicking shut made her turn sharply.
Zade stood there, leaning back against it, his hands in his pockets.
And for the first time since she'd seen his car that morning, Halle felt the full weight of what that meant.