Page 56 of Whispers of Wisteria

A knot in my stomach began to loosen.

Declan looked at Bryce. “And you will not force her to see a doctor again.”

“What?” Bryce scowled. “So we just let her get worse until Uncle Elias is back in town?”

“He is already here,” Declan replied smoothly. “And you will obey.”

“She ran despite the magnitude of her pain,” Gregory said. He was resting his chin on his linked fingers. “She’s been avoiding treatment for a decade. She’s not being stubborn.”

I clenched my jaw. We’d known, of course, but hearing Gregory also say it made everything much more real.

“There’s still much we do not know about her captivity. Therefore, until the day it absolutely cannot be avoided—or she is willing—we will not force her into a medical setting,” he said, looking pointedly at Bryce.

Then he turned his attention to me, and I pulled myself out of my dark thoughts. “You will monitor everything. Record it. Use your Bond if you must. We will need that information for when, eventually, she does consent.”

“Right.” I nodded.

“And—” He looked back at Bryce. “We find ways to covertly care for her in a manner that does not trigger her. Your initial approach was correct. She needs to learn to equate medical care as something that does not hurt her. She trusts Dr. Kohler to an extent, and she did not protest at being pampered. Use it.”

Declan stepped forward and looked between Damen and Bryce. “You two need to work together. Stop this rivalry. It will only hurt her, and I don’t think either of you wants that to happen.”

Bryce tensed while Damen glared at the floor.

Honestly, though, he was right. I’d been getting pretty annoyed with it too.

Gregory’s gaze cut between us before settling on Bryce. “There are other aspects in her life where she will no longer have control, for her immediate physical safety. But we will not be something she also needs to recover from.”

I frowned. Why did it sound like something had already been decided?

Whatever it was, I had the feeling we weren’t going to like it.

Bianca POV

We were only on the road for half an hour before Titus pulled off the highway and onto a small road. It led through the woods,and even though the best fall foliage had long since cleared, the vegetation was still beautiful.

I pressed my face against the glass to get a better look.

“Like what you see?” Titus asked lightly.

“Yes.” My breath fogged up the tinted windows, and I pulled my sweater over my wrist, rubbing at the spot. “How are they still colorful right now?”

“I make sure to choose plants that bloom later in the season,” he replied.

“Does that mean we’re getting close to your office?”

Titus didn’t answer. Instead, he followed the road to the left, and as we rounded another corner, a large, gleaming building stood before us. When I pressed my face to the glass this time, it wasn’t to look at the trees.

It was several stories high, and wall-length windows covered any surface where the pale white, reflective siding didn’t already shimmer in the sunlight. Despite that, it was impossible to see inside, meaning the windows were perfect for privacy.

Thiswas a building that a man with money should own. Not like Damen’s affinity for things in various states of disrepair. Although, to be honest, I’d grown rather fond of the onmyoji’s sentimental reasoning.

It was kind of cute.

Still, I was gaping as Titus pulled the SUV under a glass-covered overpass, and by the time I managed to pull myself together, he was already opening my door.

“Do you like it?” he asked. He held my hand to his chest and helped me down. His heart raced under my palm, and I realized he worried I’d disapprove.

The fact that he cared about what I thought made me feel important.