The world returned in pieces.
A distant beeping sound. A strange, sterile scent.The scent of antiseptic. A soft, unfamiliar bed beneath her.The sheets, white and smooth were a far cry from the cold damp earth she had woken up to a few hours before.
Roseanne's eyes fluttered open.
She wasn't outside anymore. The cold had vanished, replaced by artificial warmth. The ceiling above her was blindingly white, the fluorescent lights humming softly.She raised a trembling hand to shield her eyes, taking in the surreal scene unfolding before her.
A hospital.
Her body felt weightless, weak. Her throat was dry, and when she tried to move, pain shot through her limbs like needles.Roseanne blinked slowly. She turned her head, expecting to be alone—but she wasn't.
She saw him.
Zephyr sat in a chair beside her bed, his arms crossed, his posture tense. His dark eyes seemed impossible to read, locked away behind a mask of indifference. Yet, despite his cool facade there was something dangerous lurking beneath the surfacea hint of emotion that seemed almost...personal.
"You're awake," he said,his voice as expressionless as the hospital equipment surrounding him.
A flutter of something warm, something dangerous, spread through her chest.It was like her heart leaped out of control, skipping a beat as her body seemed to react to the sight of him, despite the warning signs screaming in her mind.
Roseanne's breath hitched.Her heart leaped. He was here. He stayed. He—
"You…" Her voice came out weaker than she expected. "You brought me here?"
He didn't answer immediately. His fingers tapped against his armrest, slow and deliberate.The sound echoed through the silence like a ticking time bomb.
"Don't do that again," he finally said, his voice sharp as a blade.Every word dripped with an air of danger,hinting at the danger he could unleash. "Whatever game you're playing, stop it. I have no patience for desperate girls who throw themselves at me."
Her heart skipped a beat.
"I just wanted to see you," she whispered. her voice barely audible over the sound of her own racing heart.
Zephyr's jaw clenched. "You think standing in the rain until you collapse is some kind of game?" His voice was dangerously low.
"I—"
"You think this will make me care about you?" he continued, his tone mocking. "You think collapsing like some tragic heroine will change anything?"
Her breath caught in her throat. This wasn't how it was supposed to go.He was supposed to care.
"Zephyr, I—"
"You're pathetic, Roseanne," he cut her off mercilessly, his gaze like ice. "I don't know what twisted fantasy you've built in your head, but I don't want you. I never will."
A slap would have hurt less.
Tears burned at the edges of her eyes.The agony had been worth it if it meant seeing him. She couldn't explain why, but seeing him was all that mattered.Her fingers curled into the hospital sheets, her nails digging into the fabric. She wanted to scream.
Why?
Why was he so cruel?
Why did he stay if he didn't care?
"Then why are you here?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Zephyr stiffened.
For a brief second—just a second—his cold mask cracked.
It was small, barely noticeable, but she caught it. The flicker of hesitation. The slight shift in his breathing.She could see the the depth of his concern behind the mask of anger.
He stayed.
He was lying.
He did care.
A twisted, manic sort of pleasure curled in her stomach.
She bit her lip, her body still weak, but her mind suddenly clear. She would make him break.
"You brought me here," she said again, a small, delirious smile forming on her lips. "You carried me, didn't you?"
Zephyr's face darkened. "Don't make me regret it."
"You touched me." Her fingers curled against her chest. "You—"
"Enough." His voice was like thunder.
She stopped.
His hands were clenched into fists, his body rigid. He was losing patience.
Good.
She would make him lose control one day.
"You need help," Zephyr muttered, stepping toward the door. "Stay away from me, Roseanne. Before I make you regret ever coming near me."
Then, without another word, he was gone.
And Roseanne?
She just smiled.
She had won.
He noticed.He stayed.That was enough.
For now.