Juliette stayed awake.
Barely.
Her eyes were open, her breathing steadier, but her mind was a trembling thing half fog, half sharp memory. Every sensation felt louder: the coldness of the IV, the stiffness in her ribs, the ache blooming behind her eyes.
And Cassian standing beside her
was the loudest sensation of all.
Not because he touched her.
He didn't.
But because he filled the room
like a force, not a man.
His jacket was off now, thrown on the chair. His sleeves rolled up. A vein pulsed at the side of his neck tension carved into his posture like steel.
No emotion on his face.
Just control.
Dangerous, razor-edged control.
A doctor entered timidly with a chart.
"Mr. Vale "
Cassian didn't look away from Juliette.
"Discharge her."
The doctor blinked hard.
"S–sir… she cannot go home yet. She suffered a concussion and significant bruising. We need to monitor "
"You have monitored enough."
His tone made the man stiffen.
Juliette's breath tightened.
She forced her voice out, soft, hoarse:
"C–Cassian…"
Both men looked at her.
Her heart hammered faster.
Not from pain.
From confusion.
From him.
The doctor stepped closer. "Mrs.Juliette, we would prefer if you stayed"
Cassian cut him off again.
"She's leaving. Today."
Juliette's fingers curled weakly in the sheets.
Why was he acting like this now?
Like he owned the walls, the air, her breath.
He didn't look at her gently anymore.
No softness.
No fear like earlier.
Now he looked like himself again.
Cassian Rhys Vale.
Cold.
Dangerous.
Unmoving.
The doctor swallowed. "Sir, we cannot authorize a discharge without"
Cassian finally turned his head.
Slow.
Deliberate.
And the doctor stopped breathing.
Cassian's voice dropped into something quiet and deadly:
"If she stays here another night, I will buy this hospital and fire every single person in it. Starting with whoever told me no."
Silence.
Sharp.
Thick.
The doctor left immediately half-walking, half-running.
Juliette exhaled shakily.
Her head throbbed at the tension.
"You don't… have to do that," she whispered.
Cassian looked at her again, eyes tracking every twitch of pain on her face.
"I'm not leaving you in this place," he said simply.
"With strangers touching you. With staff who don't move fast enough. With equipment that can fail."
Her breath caught.
Not at what he said.
At how he said it.
Not with softness.
Not with tenderness.
But with possessive certainty.
Like her safety was a command he had already carved into stone.
She looked away.
And there it was
the memory.
That woman.
Her hand on his arm.
The way he stood with her.
The type of beauty that fit his world, not hers.
Juliette swallowed, her throat tight.
He was not her man.
He was not her friend.
So why was he here?
Why was he acting like she mattered?
Her voice, small but sharp with confusion:
"You don't have to… pretend."
Cassian's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
She blinked hard, focusing on the wall because she couldn't handle his stare.
"You're only doing all this because of your name," she whispered.
"If something happened to me… it would cause a scandal. It would look bad for the Vales."
For three seconds, he did not move.
Then
His jaw clenched so sharply a muscle jumped.
He stepped closer to her bed.
Slowly.
Like a shadow pulling forward.
"Look at me."
She did not.
"Juliette."
Low.
Firm.
Commanding in a way that vibrated through her skin.
She lifted her eyes.
And instantly regretted it.
His gaze was dark.
Sharp.
Almost offended.
"You think I am here because of my name?" His voice was quiet, but it cracked like a whip.
Her heartbeat skipped.
"I don't know why you're here," she admitted, voice trembling.
"You didn't… you didn't even talk to me before the accident. You didn't explain anything. I didn't matter then, so why why do you care now?"
Then she also remembered he doesn't even know why she is angry because she never told him she saw him that day with the lady
He stared at her.
Not confused.
Not angry.
But with the expression of a man trying to understand the rules of a game he didn't know he was playing.
He took one step closer.
Juliette's breath hitched.
Another step.
Her heart raced.
The machines picked up the sound of it.
Cassian stopped beside her bed, towering, silent, unreadable.
His voice was a low vibration:
"You think I didn't notice you were avoiding me."
Her lips parted in shock.
"You think I don't know when someone I "
He stopped.
His jaw tensed.
He continued, carefully:
"When someone under my roof changes their behavior."
Her eyes burned.
Not with tears.
With frustration.
"You never asked why!"
He didn't blink.
"Because you would've lied."
She froze.
He added,
"And I didn't have the patience for lies that night."
The memory sliced between them
her seeing him with that woman,
the coldness inside her chest,
the silent treatment after.
Juliette looked away again, pain swelling behind her ribs.
Cassian exhaled slowly.
Not angry.
Not soft.
Just… measured.
"You are leaving this hospital today," he said, voice controlled again.
"I've arranged a private medical team at the house. You'll be monitored around the clock."
Juliette blinked at him.
Why?
Why all this?
Why suddenly?
She whispered,
"I don't understand you."
Cassian's gaze lowered to her bruised temple, her split lower lip, the faint tremble in her fingers.
His eyes darkened.
"You don't have to understand me," he replied quietly.
"But you will not question whether I care if you live."
Her breath stopped.
Just..
Stopped.
"And you will not walk out of my house injured ever again."
There it was.
Not love.
Not softness.
Control.
Possession.
Fear disguised as anger.
Power shaking hands with vulnerability.
Juliette's throat tightened.
The machines beeped softly.
Silence stretched between them.
Then
Almost too soft to catch:
"Rest," Cassian said.
"I'll take you home when the car arrives."
Not a question.
Not an offer.
A decision.
He stepped away, calling someone on his phone, voice low and absolute.
Juliette stared at him.
Confused.
Wounded.
Safe.
Upset.
Seen.
Unseen.
All at once.
And for the first time since waking up,
she didn't know if she should be afraid of him
or of the way her chest felt
when he said home.