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The nurse finally looked at me. “Excuse me?”

Despite the thundering of my heart, I tried to fake my confidence. “I’m leaving.” I crossed my arms. “Bring me my discharge paperwork.”

Her gaze drifted to Bryce, who had moved to stand behind me. “What?” she asked.

“You heard what she said,” Bryce replied, his voice calm. “And make it quick. We’d like to make it home before it gets too late.”

She appeared to be stunned, and her gaze shot to the others. But when no one else interjected, she glanced at us again.

“I don’t know,” she squeaked, backing out of the room. “Give me a moment.” And with that, she hurried off.

I turned to Bryce. “Do you think it worked?”

“She’s gone to get someone higher up, I imagine,” Julian said, stepping to my other side. He pulled me from Bryce and led me back to the bed. “I’m proud of you. Now, sit before you collapse.”

“I was so nervous,” I admitted as I obeyed.

“They will ask where you’ll be going when you’re discharged,” Julian stated, handing me the third uneaten cheeseburger.

“She doesn’t have to answer,” Damen said, moving to my other side. “It’s not any of their business.”

“But if she has nothing to hide, she will,” Julian told Damen. “Besides, it’ll look better for the transfer of the conservatorship if Bryce has a plan in place to take care of her. She needs continued medical treatment and observation.”

“I have every intention of taking care of her.” Bryce was hovering nearby as he watched us. “And I have a condo in this realm, we’re going there. Where else would she go?”

A chill ran down my spine as I looked at him. We were going to live together, alone?

“You live an hour out of the way. The commute must be exhausting.” Damen’s voice was tight. “Why don’t you move in with me? I have plenty of room.”

“You want me to move into that run-down shack?” Bryce said, incredulous. “Why in the world would I—” But his statement ended in a yelp as Damen elbowed him. “You!”

Before Bryce could finish threatening Damen, Dr. Reed hurried into the room. “What in the world is going on here?” she asked.

“Hello, Mother. We’re ready to leave now,” Julian said.

“Don’t be daft,” Dr. Reed replied, glancing between us. Finally, her eyes settled on me. “Bianca, what is this? I hear that—”

“I want my wife,” Bryce interjected. “I’ve come to take her with me.”

“What?” The look she shot him was a strange mixture of alarm and exasperation. Then, as she pinched the bridge of her nose, she said, “Bryce, just no. ”

“Do we have a problem?” Bryce didn’t seem intimidated by the doctor. “Surely you aren’t going to fight the law ?”

Dr. Reed opened her eyes. “And where do you think you’ll be taking your beloved? What does your father think about this insanity?”

My pulse picked up. His father…

That… he would be my father, too! What would he think? I had no idea what he was like. What if he was just like Bryce?

That would be terrible.

Julian pulled me closer as Damen covered my hand with his own.

“It’s okay,” Julian whispered. “We can talk about it later.”

“Father is more than understanding,” Bryce said, waving off Dr. Reed’s concern. “But since you’ve asked. We live with my best mate, Damen Abernathy.” Bryce dramatically flourished a wave in Damen’s direction.

Damen’s hand twitched, but Bryce continued, “You see, he’s never had a keen eye for landscaping. He destroys everything he touches—he sucks the life right out of it. Therefore, he has requested my expertise. I’m his only hope.”

“I didn’t realize he planned on entering gardening competitions.” Dr. Reed narrowed her eyes before turning her attention to Damen. “Is it true, Damen? Are you friends again?”

“Oh, absolutely.” Damen’s voice was strange. “It’s my pleasure to have a live-in groundskeeper. You can never have too many servants.”

Julian covered his face with his hand while his mother sighed.

“Right,” she replied, not sounding like she believed them. Then she focused on me. “Bianca, are you sure?”

“Of course.” I breathed. I didn’t want to stay in this building for another second. “Why wouldn’t I want to be with my husband? ”

She turned her eyes heavenward before she glanced pointedly at the three of us. “There’s the matter of this ménage. And while your husband is standing only three feet away. That’s bound to raise some eyebrows.”

Damen’s hand pulled away from mine while Julian gasped. “We’re offering her emotional support!” he said, cheeks darkening. “We’re best friends!”

While he was using my line, it really did sound ridiculous.

“Yes, son,” Dr. Reed said. She pulled a pen from the thick bun at the top of her head. “I’m sure that’s precisely what it is. Be sure to keep it in check. You’ve always been a horrendous actor.”

“I’ll get your discharge paperwork,” she continued as she wrote into her notes.

“But I am recommending you stay on your medication. And Bianca—” She looked at me, and my breath caught.

“—it is crucial that you go to Dr. Nam. I am recommending that you see him three times a week. He’s relocated his practice to the campus. You have no excuse.”

But… I pressed my fingers to my lips. “I don’t want to see Dr. Nam.”

“Why not?” she asked. “Has he done something? You’ve only been there a handful of times.”

“No, all he does is make tea,” I explained. “And it tastes awful. He doesn’t even have sugar! Then we sit around drinking it for an hour. It’s boring and useless.”

Dr. Reed rolled her eyes. “Regardless, you must see him. You should talk to him; that is what he’s there for.”

“Why?” I replied. “I’m fine.”

“Why don’t you just give it a try anyway?” she suggested. “You might like it.”

“I have nothing to talk about,” I told her. “He can go analyze someone who needs it. I’m fine.”

“Honey-bee…” Bryce stepped forward, interrupting our co nversation. “We can discuss the details when we’re back home. But first, let’s leave, all right?”

Honey-bee ?

The awful nickname overshadowed the conversation we were certain to be having later. Julian’s hand lowered to his mouth, and he watched Bryce with an unreadable expression.

Meanwhile, Damen’s eyebrow began to twitch. I wasn’t sure what he was so bothered about—I’d kept my true feelings about psychologists under wraps so that I might not hurt his feelings.

“Yes…” I still had no idea what to call Bryce, but it was time to make a decision. I had to think of something fast. If we were married, there was no longer an excuse to avoid addressing him. “Daddy.”

Bryce lowered his hand, and the look he shot me was close to panic.

“No,” he hissed, his eyes flickering to Damen. “Don’t call me that. Anything but that.”

“Why not, Daddy ?” I fake-pouted in response. I loved this. His upset reaction was bringing me great enjoyment during tenebrous times. I didn’t understand why he was complaining. From what I understood, it seemed common to address your significant other as such.

I thought it might be embarrassing—and weird—but the fact it horrified Bryce was everything.

“We’ll talk about it later.” Bryce reached for my hand. “And stop saying it!”

“But Daddy!” I pulled out of his reach. “Why—”

Damen snatched my hand, cutting off my question. He elbowed Bryce as he pulled me to my feet, and I was dragged behind him as he faced Dr. Reed.

She was watching us with a bemused expression.

“Can we leave?” he asked, his hand hot over mine .

She smirked, and I watched her, curious. What was with that expression?

Yet her voice was calm when she responded, “Yes, Damen.” She handed him a paper. “But make sure she goes to see Do Yun on Monday.”

That brought up a good question. “What day is it?” I asked.

She turned back to me, her smile fading. “You’ve been here almost a week.”

A whole week? I had no idea! Would I even be able to go back to class? “What—”

Before I could ask if it was hopeless, Damen stalked forward, pulling me along behind him. He didn’t stop to greet the smiling nurses, nor did he acknowledge the guard at the door. He moved with a singular purpose until we reached the parking lot.

It was raining again—a cold autumn downpour. It drenched us instantly, and I shivered.

Still, Damen didn’t pause.

We didn’t make it ten feet past the sliding glass doors before Julian caught up. He jerked on Damen’s arm, dragging us to a halt.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he addressed Damen, furious. Without waiting for an answer, he released the other man and turned toward me. “Here.” His voice gentled as he draped a black coat over me and pulled the hood over my head.

It was enormous—the bottom hem reached my knees—and warm. My hair was already stuck to my cheeks. He bent toward me, uncaring about the rain, and pushed some wayward strands away from my face. “Better?”

I stared at him, unsure how to respond.

Damen spun around, his eyes wide. He had lost the force of his fury. “I—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Julian snapped before focusing on me again. “Bianca.” His voice was soft. “Are you warm enough? You don’t have shoes on, can I carry you? Let’s get you out of the rain.”

Didn’t he care that his shirt was plastered against his skin? Wasn’t he cold? I shook my head. “I’m okay.”

I looked past them at the waning moon, and my attention lingered on the dark sky.

It was cloudy, so there was no way to see the stars, but when I closed my eyes, I could imagine them.

The rain pelted against my cheeks while the cool air brushed against my face, but it was still much better than the hospital room.

“Good.” Julian touched my hand, pulling me out of my musings. “Let’s go, now that you’re not forced to walk in the rain in only a thin, white hospital gown,” he said accusingly. He glanced at my feet. “Are you sure…”

I shook my head once more.

“I’m stopping home to pack.” Bryce stepped to my side. He ignored Julian as he held an umbrella over my head. “Do you want me to stop by your dorm and pick up anything? Your roommate is Jiayi, right?”