Page 58 of My Damaged Protector

Suddenly, a phone starts to ring, and I immediately know it's not mine. She steps away from me to pick up her call.

“Yeah?” she says into the phone. In a matter of seconds, I watch all the color drain from her face before she nods. “I'm on my way.”

She tosses the phone down on the bed, and takes some clothing out of her luggage without really looking at it.

I'm immediately on guard.

“What's going on?” I ask her.

She glances at me, her lips pulled taut and her eyes unreadable. She shakes her head. It's as if she doesn't want to tell me.

“Sarah?” I urged.

“I have to get to the hospital.”

Well, that was the plan before, wasn't it? But something has changed. Something has happened.

“Who called you?”

“It's Lauren, she's um, my…“

“Stepsister.” I finish for her “What did she say?”

She struggles to speak. I can tell she's hesitant to tell me what's going on.

“Come on, Sarah. This is me. You don't trust me or what?”

“No! It's not that,” she instantly denies.

“Then what is it?” I ask, getting off the bed and walking toward her.

“It’s my dad, okay? He passed out, and they need me to come in as soon as possible. And I don't know, I'm just worried for him, and that's strange for me, you know? I don't really know the man. He wasn't there for me when I needed him most, yet the thought of him dying bothers me. Am I that pathetic?”

Sighing, I move closer to her and pull her into my arms. She willingly lets me.

“No, Sarah. You are not pathetic. You are just a good person.”

“Well, being a good person sucks,” she says into my chest.

Patting her back, I hum in agreement. “Yeah, I know. But that's what makes people like you different from the rest of us, you know? You care, so you stand out.”

Pulling away from me so she can see my face, she pats my cheek, a sad smile pulling up her face.

“You don't give yourself enough credit,” she says, and then steps back, getting back to the business of the hour.

“How can I help?” I ask her, knowing that's the only thing I can offer her unrestrictedly right now. My help.

“I don't know, okay? I just need to get there as soon as possible without being hounded by the paparazzi.”

Got it.

Grabbing my shirt off the sofa, I put it on and opened the room’s door.

“Where are you going?” she yells after me as I step out of the room.

“Give me a minute.” I say and go to confirm if the paparazzi are still out there.

While they aren't as prevalent as they were last night, there are still a couple of them.

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