Page 97 of Symphony for Lies

That little jab wasn’t subtle.

Rita laughed, throwing me a knowing look.“Do you still have work to do?”

I sighed, “I just need to drop off thesamples—”

“I’ll take care of it. You’ve worked enough today. And your shift was over twenty minutes ago.”

I hesitated for a second before logging out of the computer.“Thanks, Rita.”

She winked.

I changed out of my scrubs, let my hair down, and rubbed my aching feet. The day had been exhausting, but Zane’s unexpected visit had awakened me.

When I finally left the clinic, Zane was waiting for me in his car, focused on his phone. I glanced at the display as I got in, and my breath caught.

A photo of me. At the computer.

“When did you take that?” I asked, startled.

Zane looked at me with a calm, almost innocent expression. “Just now. Right when you called me an acquaintance.”

I let out a sigh.“Are you mad about that?”

He shook his head, but his jaw remained tight. Hesitantly, I leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

In an instant, his expression softened.

“I only said that because you scared me a little on Saturday.”

“That wasn’t my intention. I just wanted to avoid unnecessary drama.” He reached for my hand, lifting it to his lips. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

I arched a brow.“But you could still tell me.”

“Trust me. It’s nothing worth talking about. Just remember one thing.” Zane started the engine, glancing at me briefly. “I would never lie to you.” His words were somewhat reassuring, but something still didn’t sit right.

The drive was quiet, with the radio playing softly in the background.

“I have an important call soon.”

“Hm? Don’t tell me it’s Tristan.”

His words caught me completely off guard.“What?”

“The important call. It’s not Tristan, right?”

I stared at him in pure disbelief.“Zane! What’s wrong with you? Why would Tristan be calling me?”

“I just thought—”

“And if he was? What would be so wrong about it?”

He didn’t respond right away. Instead, he took his time answering.

Too much time.

“Zane.”

Reluctantly, he finally spoke, “He calls you his muse. He’s always close to you. It feels like you two share something that we don’t have. And that… irritates me.”