Page 128 of The Monster and the Masochist

“Tell me everything. What does she need? Do I need to take her to the hospital?”

“She needs sleep and rest, but make sure you keep an eye on her over the next twenty-four hours. She may be more sleepy than usual, but go ahead and let her sleep. Make sure she drinks water, and check in on her every two hours for the first night to make sure she’s breathing properly. If she starts vomiting or you notice any slurred speech, bring her to a hospital. Essentially, any behavior out of the ordinary is a red flag, and you’ll want to make sure she’s looked at immediately to avoid the risk of her slipping into a coma.”

At the word coma all the blood drained from Cassandra’s face, and she whirled on me.

She didn’t look scared anymore. She was furious.

I winced, expecting her to lay into me, but she simply pursed her lips, and I knew I was going to be getting into it with her on the drive back to her condo.

“What the fuck happened, Muscles?” Cal asked.

I blinked, realizing for the first time he was there too.

“She was faster than I expected,” I grunted, sitting up and taking the icepack Jerry was handing me.

Cal frowned at me, his expression telling me he wanted to keep drilling me on why I had choked so badly, so I changed the subject while Cass was still busy peppering the medic with a thousand questions on how best to heal a concussion.

“Was Sienna in here, or did I imagine that?” I asked Cal, and suddenly, he seemed to forget his concerns about the fight. An amused smirk curled across his lips.

“She was. We walked in, and she was straddling you. You kept trying to push her off, but she wouldn’t listen. Cass yeeted her across the room by her ponytail and threatened to kill her if she ever touched you again.” His eyes were sparkling with amusement. “Guess my sister hates sharing just as much as I do.”

A flare of warmth shot through my chest as the memory of Cass’s cold, detached voice resurfaced.

‘Put your hands on her again, and I will fucking kill you.’

I frowned. That sounded like… jealousy?

Weird considering she was probably going to kick me out of her condo as soon as we ‘talked.’

“Where is your ring?”

I glanced up to find my furious fake wife standing before me. She had both fists perched on her perfect hips, and I couldn’t help but stare with the one eye that wasn’t swollen shut.

She really did look good in those leggings.

“Uhh, on the desk over there. I had to take it off for the fight.”

She stormed over to the desk and scooped up my wedding band before snatching up my left hand. She forced the ring back on my finger–a lot more aggressively than was probably necessary–and gave me a withering look.

“Get in the car,” she snapped.

I exchanged a look with Cal, who was looking increasingly amused by the second.

“Better do what she says, Muscles.” He grinned, and I sighed.

This was gonna fucking suck.

Alexa Play: Where Does The Good Go by Tegan and Sara

The car ride home in Cassandra’s Audi was… awkward.

My head was killing me, and I felt like my brain was literally scrambled. So, as much as her silent fury was giving me anxiety, I wasn’t about to be the one to try to speak first.

Cassandra’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel for the entire drive, and she didn’t look at me once.

When we parked in the underground garage at her building, I moved to open the door, and she snapped at me.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” she snarled, getting out of the driver’s side and circling the car to help me out.