Page 45 of Dr. Damaged Protector

Still, I didn't expect I would panic. Since when has a woman made me panic like this? I've had lovers in the past, but none of them were to be taken seriously. In relationships, what I feared the most was ending up with a woman like my mother or ending up in a loveless marriage like my parents.

That resulted in me having short-term relationships without ever fully becoming attached to someone. I knew something was wrong when I realized that I was still thinking about Olivia, even after two years.

Even when she came back into my life, I was bothered when she distanced herself from me. Usually, I wouldn't care, and I would move on, but she had my heart on lockdown. It was a strange and scary feeling. To be this vulnerable with someone. Well, not yet, but I knew it was only a matter of time before I would become vulnerable.

"Oh, you're awake?" Olivia asked as she stepped out of the bathroom. "Why do you look like you just had a panic attack?"

"Because I did," I admitted. "I woke up and couldn't find you next to me. I thought you had disappeared like that time in the bar."

"You thought I would leave you again?" She seemed amused.

I didn't answer, looking away. But my silence gave away the answer she needed.

She smirked and sat on the bed while drying her hair. "You should know it won't be that easy to leave you here in Richmond."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, For one, I'm still broke, so I can't afford a flight," she explained. "Secondly, I'm broke, so I can't afford anywhere else to stay."

"So if you weren't broke, you would have left?" I raised a brow.

"Maybe," she wiggled her eyes at me. "Now get out of bed; we'll be late for work."

"I looked through my appointments for today, and I really don't have anything," I said. "I just want to take the day off. You can also take it off if you want."

"As tempting as it sounds, I have already promised Jane and other doctors that I would assist them today," she explained. "Maybe you should take a break."

She appeared calm compared to her expression last night. I already planned to take the day off but started having second thoughts. I should have followed her to the office.

"How are you doing?" I asked. "Is everything okay? Do you want to talk about what happened last night?"

Her shoulders dropped, and she sighed. "To be honest, If you were not here last night. I would have probably cried myself to sleep. Then wake up with a splitting headache."

"So I did good?" I smiled.

You did very well," she affirmed. "I'm still not ready to talk about what happened, though."

"It's fine. Whenever you're ready, let me know," I said to her.

I still went back into her bed and slept off, but even in my sleep, my mind was clouded with her. This really was the first time something like this happened.

****

I woke up. Judging by the invading sunlight in the room, I had slept till almost past noon. With a yawn, I scanned the room. Olivia was absent. Of course, she wouldn't be as she had said she would be at the hospital.

I got out of bed. The manor was unusually quiet. After a quick shower, I went down to the kitchen. The chef made me brunch.

I know I took the day off, but there was nothing to do.I should have convinced her to take the day off as well.Sebastian was away. I didn't see Kate; neither did I see Father. As there was no one to attend to, the maids were probably at the boys' quarters. I sighed and grabbed my keys, hoping to find entertainment outside.

****

I drove down to the superstore last night. Some people had particular habits, so a part of me hoped I would see the person who startled Olivia.

I didn't know the license plate, but I could make out the car. No luck. Even after waiting an hour, I never saw any car that struck my memory. I gave up and decided to look for something else to do.

I saw my father's car; honestly, I wanted to ignore it. But as he drove past me, I noticed he was going, and a strange lady I had never seen was in the passenger seat. As I've mentioned before, I usually mind my business as long as it concerns Father. But now I finally got something that would give me the upper hand over my dad.

I followed after him, keeping a safe distance to ensure my cover. Judging by the way he drove, he didn't notice me. He stopped at a house and dropped the lady off. I took some photos just to be safe. From what I could see, she kissed him from the driver's window.

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