Page 42

Ellie blinked, caught off guard by his offer. "You want me to be your choreographer?"
Ellie bit her lip, her mind racing. To be fair, she was running out of money. And with Olivia back, her days with Sawyer were numbered.
“I’ll think about it and let you know,” she finally told Jeremy.
“No problem.” He grinned and pulled out his phone. “Let’s exchange contacts. Give me your number, and I’ll call you.”
Ellie hesitated for a moment before taking the phone, typing in her number, and handing it back to him.
Jeremy chuckled but didn’t push it. His eyes flickered to the water bottle in her hand, then down to her bandaged foot. “Want some help getting back to your room?”
Her foot had already started throbbing again, so she nodded. “It’s just right there.”
“Got it.”
Jeremy slid his arm around her shoulders, and she placed her arm around his waist, letting him help her walk back. But with each step, the pain intensified. Limping on one foot was harder than she thought, and just as she stumbled, he caught her before she could hit the floor.
Without warning, he bent down and swept her off her feet, scooping her up into his arms.
“I can walk on my own,” Ellie protested, squirming to get down.
“Sure, if you want to take all year,” Jeremy teased. “I don’t have time for that. Just let me take you back—it’s not a big deal.”
He gave her a knowing look, and Ellie, seeing no way out, huffed and pointed toward her room.
Just as they reached the door, it swung open, and Sawyer stepped out, holding a lunch box.
His gaze landed on Ellie first, then immediately flicked to Jeremy. His eyes narrowed, and in an instant, his expression turned ice-cold as his glare locked onto her.
“Isn’t this the guy from yesterday?” Sawyer didn’t even acknowledge Jeremy directly. His burning glare stayed fixed on Ellie, making her stiffen.
Before she could answer, Sawyer’s sharp gaze snapped to Jeremy, and the intensity in his eyes darkened. Without another word, he stormed forward and yanked Ellie out of Jeremy’s arms.
“What the hell is he doing here? Did you call him here?”
Jeremy didn’t let go immediately, but when Sawyer’s grip tightened possessively around Ellie, he had no choice but to step back. Crossing his arms, Jeremy smirked.
“I’m her boyfriend. She got hurt. Isn’t it normal for a boyfriend to check on his girlfriend?”
The temperature in the hallway seemed to drop. The way Sawyer’s eyes burned could have reduced Jeremy to ashes. Even Ellie felt a flicker of fear—Sawyer had always been intense, but this was something else.
But Jeremy remained completely unfazed. In fact, a grin tugged at the corner of his lips, as if the tension between them only fueled his amusement.
Ellie muttered under her breath, “This bastard is going to get me killed.”
With a deep sigh, she turned toward Jeremy. "You should leave now. Thanks for stopping by," she said, forcing a smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes.
Jeremy didn’t move.
Sawyer’s grip on her tightened immediately, his fingers digging into her arm as his gaze shot daggers at Jeremy. His voice was a low growl as he snapped, "She ismygirlfriend. Stay the fuck away from her."
Jeremy let out a low whistle, clearly enjoying the discomfort he was causing. His smirk only deepened. "Damn, you’ve got a bad memory," he teased, his voice oozing sarcasm. "So, how did the proposal go last night? Do you have a fiancée now?" His smirk widened. "Last night, you proposed to that fancy chick, didn’t you? So how exactly is Ellie your girlfriend anymore?"
Sawyer’s hold on Ellie became more forceful, his jaw clenching so tightly it looked like it might snap. His voice dropped, low and threatening. “That wasn’t a proposal,” he spat, his eyes burning with barely contained rage. “And it’s none of your damn business.”
Without another word, he turned on his heel and stormed into the hospital room, taking Ellie in with him before slamming the door shut.
Inside the room, Sawyer didn’t release Ellie. Instead, he marched straight to the bed and set her down, his hand still gripping her shoulder tightly. He leaned in, his face inches from hers, his eyes narrowing as he forced her to meet his gaze.