Clementine, a social media manager with fiery red hair and emerald green eyes, was a contradiction. Shy in person, her mind buzzed with fascinating trivia just waiting for the right listener.
Sebastian Montgomery as the tabloids dubbed him, was an...
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The world felt like a fog—thick and unrelenting, clinging to her mind as she struggled to make sense of everything. The steady beeping of the machines was too loud, the sterile hospital room too cold. It was all too much. Clementine blinked, trying to clear the haze that blurred her vision, but it didn't help.
She could feel the heavy weight of exhaustion settling over her like a blanket, but there was something else—something unfamiliar—keeping her tethered to the present. Something about the way her body ached. Her head throbbed with a dull pain, and as she tried to sit up, a wave of dizziness rushed through her. She swayed, and for a moment, the world tilted beneath her.
"Easy, Clementine," a calm voice rumbled beside her.
She knew that voice. Sebastian.
Her eyes fluttered open again, and this time, the shape of him—tall, commanding, but strangely soft in this moment—came into focus. He was standing beside her bed, his eyes dark with concern, his jaw tight like he was holding back something. He didn't look like the Sebastian she knew—the cold, distant man who rarely showed any emotion. Right now, he was different. His hand was gentle on her arm, keeping her steady.
"You don't have to—" she began to protest, but her words were weak, slurring slightly.
"You don't get to argue with me right now," he replied, his voice firm but not unkind. "You need rest. You're not going anywhere until you're ready."
The sharpness in his words was softened by the steady care in his gaze. She had never seen him like this before—so focused, so protective. It was like he wasn't just the man who ran the show, the one who always kept everyone at arm's length. He was here for her. And, for reasons she didn't fully understand, that thought both calmed her and unsettled her in the same breath.
Sebastian moved closer, sliding his hand gently behind her shoulders, easing her back into the bed. He didn't hurry. His touch was patient, careful, as though he was afraid she might break under his hands. When she was settled back into the bed, he stayed close—his presence a quiet but undeniable force.
Clementine closed her eyes for a moment, trying to steady her breath, but there was something about his nearness, about the protective strength he radiated, that made her feel... safe.
"You're okay," he murmured, brushing a lock of hair away from her face, his thumb grazing her temple as he did. His fingers were warm against her skin, and his touch—surprisingly tender—made her heart race. "Just take a few deep breaths, and you'll feel better."
She nodded, not trusting her voice enough to speak again, but the sensation of his care—his steady, constant presence—washed over her in waves. Slowly, the dizziness began to fade, replaced by a warmth that spread through her chest.
Sebastian didn't move away from her. Instead, he sat down in the chair next to the bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his eyes never leaving her face.
