Page 135 of Bleed with Me

I looked in the same direction. Zyon sat in the chair opposite a doctor who spoke, glaring at him with the same murderous glint in his ominous eyes that Malin usually wore when he threatened people. Dorian just stared at his hands, not paying attention, and Valentina’s face showed no emotion at all.

Whatever the doctor said was bad. So fucking bad that I could feel it from the other side of the glass.

“Yes,” I confirmed mindlessly. “It’s him.”

“And where’s Malin?” she asked, my head whipping toward her so abruptly she flinched slightly.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, averting my gaze from her startled expression. “Malin is sick.”

“Does his tummy hurt?” She poked my hand with her tiny index finger, her voice lowered into a whisper. “He eats loooots of sweets and candies.”

Pressure built behind my eyes, and I had to blink rapidly to get rid of tears that almost fell on my cheeks.

“Yeah, something like that,” I whispered, gulping past the lump in my throat. “Anyway, what’s your name?” I changed the subject, hoping she would forget about Malin, but before she could reply, Dorian marched out of the door, pale like a sheet of paper.

“I need air,” he exhaled, almost running down the hall. The girl instantly jumped to her feet and rushed behind him.

“I’ll be in Malin’s room,” I heard Valentina say, and I stood up, but she ignored me exactly as she did when she found Dorian sleeping on my lap in his office. She didn’t comment or demand an explanation. She simply pretended I didn’t exist, which was somehow even worse than yelling and accusing me of poisoning her son.

“Is it that bad?” I forced the words out, watching Zyon’s broad back. He stood a few feet from me, but still glared at the doctors as if he were deciding a death sentence.

“He has to wake up,” was all he said before he turned on his heel and disappeared.

I exhaled heavily, plopping on the uncomfortable chair and hiding my face behind my palms. I didn’t know what to do, how to help. And the worst thing was seeing Dorian suffer.

If Malin ever woke up, I would kick his obnoxious ass for doing this to his family!

The buzzing of my phone cut the thread of my violent thoughts. Exhaling exasperatedly, I fished it from my jeans pocket, expecting to see Dad’s or Sonny’s name on the screen, but it was Lucas.

“Yes?” I answered, pushing my hair from my face.

“Just calling to give you a heads-up,” he said, tapping on the keyboard. “Your dad just sent more men to find you. Thankfully, he has no idea you’re camping in Dorian’s hospital.”

“What the fuck is he doing?” I hissed, straightening up.

Dad had been trying to locate me since our last talk, but was unsuccessful. He visited people personally, promising God knew what, to get information about my whereabouts. His desperation was palpable, but aside from the Zhumagulov family, Lucas, and hospital personnel, no one knew where I was.

“You know what he’s doing,” Lucas pointed out. “Just stay with Dorian. Maybe it’s time to tell him there’s an official hunt on you.”

“No.” I shook my head resolutely. “He has enough on his plate. I’ll deal with it.”

“How?” Lucas whined. “Your dad is dead set on marrying you to that asshole, and I’ve found nothing to stop it.” I could envision his exasperated expression. “I don’t even know who the mysterious people your family owes the money to are.”

“You’ll find them,” I stated confidently. “In the meantime, check the money in my trust fund. Maybe there is an option to withdraw it.”

“I’ll need your access codes,” he said. “Are you planning on giving the money to your dad?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, even though it was the first thing that occurred to me. “What if it isn’t just about the money? So many things could be behind it.”

“Okay,” Lucas sighed. “I’ll look into this while also looking for everything else. I’ll keep you updated.” There was a brief pause. “Any news about Malin?”

“No change,” I whispered, glancing at the door where Dorian disappeared through.

“That’s not entirely bad,” he mused, probably just trying to be supportive.

“It’s not good either,” I said, standing up. “I’ll keep in touch.”

“Yep, stay safe. Bye.”