Page 79 of Obsessing Over His Favorite
“Don’t do that!” he growled, his voice breathless with tension. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” he said, trying to calm her as he held her in place.
She jerked away from his grasp and shoved herself into the seat, slamming her back against it. Her eyes locked onto his, icy and angry.
Lucas exhaled, rubbing a hand across his face, then said calmly, “Since you won’t go to the hospital,” he muttered tightly, “then I’ll drop you home myself.”
Disbelief flashed across her face. “Why are you coming to my place? I don’t want you there.”
“It’s either the hospital or your home. Wherever you go, I’m going with you. Make your choice. But if you force me, I’ll take you to the hospital first—and then home.”
Cornered, she clenched her fists and looked away, jaw tight. “Fine,” she muttered, then gave her address to the driver in a clipped voice.
Emily stared out of the window, but the rage still simmered just beneath her skin. After a moment, she turned to Lucas, her glare burning through him.
“Why are you suddenly so worried about me? What is this now—some kind of act? What’s the point of all this drama when I’ve already broken up with you?”
“We haven’t broken up,” Lucas replied, eyes focused ahead.
Her tone turned cold. “When I was with you, you didn’t care. Not even when I got into a damn car accident. You didn’t care at all. So doesn’t that mean you never had feelings for me to begin with?”
Lucas leaned back in his seat, his face hardening. “You don’t need to worry about my feelings,” he said, his voice dropping an octave, colder now. “I know exactly what they are. I don’t need you to define them for me.”
“I don’t care about you,” she snapped, her voice brittle with anger. “I only care about myself now. I don’t want this relationship. I don’t want to be with you anymore.” She gestured between them, eyes blazing. “This—whatever it is—it means nothing to me. Just pain. So stop showing up in front of me.”
“Sir, we’ve arrived,” the driver called.
Emily didn’t wait. She threw the door open and stepped out in a rush, slamming the door with enough force to rattle the frame. Lucas went to follow her, but she spun around.
“If you follow me,” she warned, her eyes narrowed in fury, “I’ll sleep on the damn streets.”
Then she turned and stormed into the building and disappeared.
Lucas sat frozen in the back seat, jaw clenched so tightly a nerve ticked at the corner. His fists trembled against his knees as he tried to calm the fire burning through him.
Just then, his phone rang.
Taylor’s name flashed on the screen.
He answered instantly. “What?”
On the other end, Taylor’s voice was low, serious.
“I took Emily’s X-rays to a neurologist—a brain specialist. He said the clot in her brain is serious. The doctors were hoping it would dissolve on its own, but if left untreated, it could be life-threatening. Given the location of the clot and the severity of the head trauma, there’s a high chance she’s lost parts of her memory.”
Lucas didn’t say a word.
The phone slid slowly from his ear. The blood drained from his face, and for a moment, he couldn’t breathe.
Just a few minutes later, Emily was startled by the sound of her front door slamming shut, the noise echoing sharply through her apartment.
She had just stepped out of the bathroom—still in the living room—after a shower, ready to change her clothes. At the loud bang, she turned her head and froze.
Lucas was storming into her home, his expression dark.
“What are you doing here?” Emily stared at Lucas in disbelief, her breath catching in her throat. “How did you even get inside? The door was locked. How do you know the password?”
She moved quickly, stepping in front of him, both hands pressed against his chest to stop him—but he barely slowed. He brushedpast her like she was weightless, his shoulder nudging her aside as he entered the apartment, eyes scanning the apartment, calm and unbothered.
“I’ve got money,” he said, glancing back at her. “An obscene amount of money.”
