TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 135

One hundred and thirty five

Lisa POV

Franklin was standing near the window when we returned. He looked out at the parking lot, his jaw tight.

I settled back into the hospital bed. My mom pulled the heavy blue blanket over my legs and tucked the edges in.

“How did it go?” Franklin asked, turning toward us.

“They said it looks okay,” I replied. “The doctor has to review it.”

“That is the standard line,” Franklin muttered.

My mom stepped between us. “She is improving, Franklin. Her color is back. That is what matters right now.”

Franklin’s phone rang. He stepped toward the corner of the room, but the space was too small to hide his voice.

“Run the blood samples again,” he said into the phone. “I don’t care if the lab says they are clean. The reaction was real. It doesn’t just vanish.”

He listened for a moment, his brow deepening.

“No. Do not wrap up the investigation. Keep the nurse’s files open. Check her bank records again.”

He ended the call and stood still for a second before looking at me.

“So?” I asked.

“The hospital lab is sticking with the same conclusion,” he said. “No foreign substances found in the remaining vitamins.”

“What happens next?”

“We keep watching,” Franklin said. “I’m checking every person who had access to that house. If there is a gap in the security footage, I’ll find it.”

“That is just more waiting,” my mom said. Her voice was sharp with frustration.

“It is all the evidence we have,” Franklin replied.

“And Cameron?” I asked.

Franklin looked at me, then at the floor. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully.

“He is taking the lab report as the final word. He isn’t pushing for a criminal investigation against anyone in the inner circle.”

My heart felt like it was being squeezed. My mom let out a heavy sigh that sounded like a groan. “He has to act that way,” she said. “He is the Alpha. He cannot accuse his mate without a smoking gun.”

“And you don’t ignore a fire because you haven’t found the matches yet,” I said. I felt a spark of heat in my chest. ” He wants proof. I’ll give him proof if I have to find it myself.”

My mom touched my arm. “Lisa, stop. He is trying to manage a crisis. Give him time.”

I didn’t answer. I looked away.

Franklin’s phone rang again. He checked the screen and walked out into the hallway. The heavy door didn’t latch,

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leaving a crack of light and sound.

“I am not dropping this,” I heard him say. His voice was muffled but clear. “The timing is too perfect. Something doesn’t fit.”

There was a pause.

“Then find me a lead I can actually use in court. Check the pharmacy again.”

His voice dropped to a whisper, and I lost the rest of the conversation.

My mom smoothed the blanket over my knees for the third time. “You should not be carrying this weight,” she said. “Your only job is to get strong. We will deal with the rest later.”

I didn’t argue with her. I shifted on the thin mattress and felt a sharp pull in my lower abdomen. It wasn’t a cramp, just a localized pressure that made me freeze. I placed my hand over the spot and waited. My heart/ hammered against my ribs. After a minute, the sensation faded, but the fear remained. Every twitch of my muscles felt like a warning.

I leaned back against the headboard and closed my eyes, trying to block out the sterile smell of the room.

My phone rang. I saw Cameron’s name on the display. My skin felt suddenly hot. I swiped the screen and held the phone to my ear.

“How are you feeling?” he asked. His voice was low and gravelly.

“I’m better,” I said. “The fever is gone.”

He let out a long sigh. I could hear the wind whistling on his end of the line. “I heard what the specialists said about the pregnancy. I haven’t been able to sleep, Lisa.”

I stayed silent, waiting for him to say more.

“This is a difficult situation,” he continued. “But if it comes to a point where your body is failing, I will not let the doctors take risks. Your life comes first.”

I tightened my grip on the phone. “And what about the baby?”

“I want the child,” he said. There was a raw edge to his tone. “I have planned my whole life for this. But I won’t trade your life for it. We will monitor the situation and prepare for whatever happens next.”

“And the lab results? Franklin says you’re closing the case.”

I heard a brief hesitation.

“The report came back clean, Lisa. The vitamins were standard. Until I have a reason to believe otherwise, I cannot act on assumptions.”

“Of course,” I said. The word tasted like copper.

“I am not dismissing what happened,” he added. “I am being realistic. I need solid ground before I make a move.”

“I understand.”

“I’ve added a private specialist to your medical team,” he said. “He arrives tomorrow. If you feel even a slight change in your condition, he handles it immediately. You won’t have to wait for the hospital staff.”

“That’s generous,” I said.

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“Lisa, let me handle the logistics. Do not rush to a conclusion that will only cause you more stress.”

I looked at the IV bag. It was empty now.

“I am not treating this as a transaction,” he said, his voice dropping.

“I signed a contract,” I replied. “You needed an heir. I agreed to provide one. Now the asset is at risk, and you are. protecting the person who carries it. That isn’t an insult. It’s just the way this is built.”

“That is not how I see you.”

“But it is how the world works.”

There was a long silence on the line. I could hear the faint sound of a siren in the distance on his end.

“You matter in this,” he said quietly. “Beyond the child. You matter to me. I am doing what I can with the facts I have.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. The silence stretched until he spoke again.

“I will come to see you as soon as I can leave the clinic here.”

“You don’t have to rush. You have your own priorities.”

“That doesn’t mean I am ignoring you.

“I didn’t say you were.”

I heard him exhale. “Keep me updated. On every single change.”

“I will.”

“And Lisa?”

“Yes?”

“We are going to get through this.”

I didn’t answer that. I couldn’t. I ended the call and felt a wave of cold sadness wash over me.

Another alert chirped on my phone. A deposit notification. Fifty thousand tokens had been moved into my account.

He would provide the money. He would provide the doctors. He would provide the security. He would manage every variable that could be bought or tracked. But he wouldn’t look at the truth if it was standing right in front of him.

That was enough for him. It would have to be enough for me.

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