I'd seen her medical report. I knew how serious her condition was.
Instead of worrying about me, she should be counting how many days she had left.
"But she's so wicked," Sophie continued. "After everything she's put me through, a little freezing is the least she deserves."
She gazed up at Rhys, her voice trembling with practiced fear. "I'm terrified she'll come after me once she gets out. Back in the operating room, the way she looked at me... like she wanted to tear me apart."
Rhys held her close, sparing me a single glacial glance. "As long as I'm here, she can't touch you."
Sophie's eyes welled with fresh tears. "But what if she holds a grudge? What if she spreads rumors about my... my personal life?"
"Everything she said was made up. She's jealous of me. She's trying to destroy my reputation..."
"If it damages you or the Delgado Group, I'll never forgive myself."
"Rhys, please don't believe her lies. You're the only one in my heart. She's just trying to drive us apart so she can worm her way back to you."
My teeth chattered violently, my whole body screaming in agony. Thoughts were becoming impossible to form. "Sophie... do you dare unlock your phone for Rhys to see? Do you dare let him check your hotel records from last week?"
"Shut up!" Sophie's voice shot up an octave.
"Rhys, look! She's still spouting nonsense! I didn't do anything! She's framing me!"
She deliberately leaned into Rhys's embrace, but the movement pulled at the bruises on her wrist. A pained whimper escaped her lips. "Ah... it hurts... Rhys, I can't stand hearing her voice anymore!"
The cold in Rhys's eyes deepened into something glacial. "Turn the temperature to the lowest setting. Let's see if she still dares to spew lies."
The guard by the door obeyed instantly.
The cold air intensified with brutal force. White frost crystallized across the metal walls.
A metallic sweetness surged up my throat. My fingernails scraped against the freezer's interior, producing a sound that made my own skin crawl.
My vision began to darken at the edges.
Rhys's voice reached me like a final verdict. "Leonora, when you learn to behave, I'll let you out."
"Otherwise, you'll stay in there forever."
My consciousness started to scatter. The cold had frozen me into complete stillness.
I forced out my last shred of awareness. "Rhys... let me out..."
But he simply turned away, Sophie still cradled in his arms.
Just before they could leave, the corridor door slammed open with a deafening crash.
Head Nurse Elaine Porter burst in clutching a stack of lab reports, her voice sharp with urgency. "Sophie Pruitt's HIV test came back positive! Every instrument from the operating room must be destroyed immediately!"
She slapped the reports down on the nearest surface, her voice cutting through the air like a blade. "You've all been exposed to her blood! Get to post-exposure treatment NOW—wait any longer and it'll be too late!"
Rhys's hand froze mid-air. The color drained from his face in an instant. "What did you say?! That's impossible!"
