TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 139

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One hundred and thirty nine

The heavy curtains in the clinic room shut out the morning sun. The space stayed a dull gray.

Topened my eyes. A throb started at the base of my skull. It was a tugging feeling that made the corners of the ceiling move. I pushed my palms against the mattress and forced my body up.

Damn it.

I sat in the chair and let my head fall back. The pressure stayed. Every breath felt slow. My vision lagged every time I moved my eyes.

I looked at the monitor on the wall. The green line of Evangeline’s heart rate moved across the screen. I had never felt this clumsy before. My muscles felt heavy. I thought the small chair I slept in for three days had finally caused this.

Evangeline had held my hand tight the night before. Her voice shook as she asked me to stay. She said the silence of the clinic scared her. I stayed to keep her calm. Now, I fought a sick feeling in my stomach while the floor seemed to tilt.

I stood up. I held the wall to walk to the bathroom. The tiles felt slanted. I turned the handle of the tap and watched the water fill the basin. I cupped my hands and pressed the water against my face. The cold made my skin tingle, but the fog in my head stayed. I gripped the sink and looked at my face in the mirror. My eyes were red. I set my jaw and wiped my face with a towel. I would not show any weakness.

“You do not look right. What is wrong?”

Evangeline sat up on her pillows. Her voice was thin. Her eyes watched me closely. I hung the towel back.

“Nothing.”

“Are you dizzy?” she asked.

I turned to her and kept my back straight. “How would you know that?”

“You have been touching your head since you woke up,” she said. She reached for a glass of water. “You look pale, Cameron.”

I dropped my hand. “It is nothing. I slept in a bad position.”

“Go back to your hotel,” she said. Her voice was soft. “I should not have asked you to stay. Go and rest. You need to sleep before we travel.”

I did not argue. The weight in my head made a real bed seem necessary. I walked past her bed to the door. My boots made a dull sound on the floor.

The hallway smelled of floor wax. My phone buzzed. I saw Kieran’s name. I walked past the elevators to a small stone balcony at the end of the hall. The cold air hit my face. The wind helped me focus. I answered the call.

“How are things, son?” Kieran asked. His voice was deep.

“Stable,” I said. I leaned my hip against the railing. “The doctors paused the surgery. They want more data. We come home tomorrow.”

“Good,” Kieran said. He paused. “Now, tell me about you and Franklin.”

“What about us?”

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“Franklin told me you blocked him from seeing Lisa. He also said you let the lead nurse go.”

I let out a dry sound. “And why would I do that without telling you?”

Kieran made a low sound in his throat. “Watch your tone. Franklin is important. He is the main part of your team.”

“I am just managing the facts,” I said.

“Franklin is your best set of eyes. Because of him, we have proof that Nadia was beaten.”

My hand gripped the metal railing. The air felt thin. “What?”

“She faced Desmond,” Kieran said. “She found out he has a mistress. Franklin found the woman, She is pregnant with Desmond’s child.”

“He did what?” My voice was low. Anger rose in my neck. It burned through the headache for a moment.

“Stay calm,” Kieran said. “I am handling the politics. Do not interfere yet.”

“I am not waiting for a meeting,” I said.

“You are. You do nothing until you are back here. When is your flight?”

“Tomorrow at noon.”

“Good. Do not call Desmond. Do not act without thinking. Let me fix the meeting first.”

I ended the call. My mind raced. Then, the headache returned with force. It felt like a needle behind my right eye. I hissed and pressed my palm against the brick wall. I held on until the room stopped spinning.

The pain left seconds later. It left no ache. It was a strange gap in time. This was a pattern now. The pain came when I was stressed and left quickly.

I walked back into the room. Evangeline watched the door. Her fingers picked at her white blanket.

“You keep stopping,” she said. “Like something hit you.”

“I am fine,” I said. I pulled a chair near her bed.

“What if this is not a random thing?” she whispered. Her voice shook. “What if someone is doing this to me and Lisa too?”

I did not answer. I watched her breathe.

“Lisa fell and the doctors found nothing,” she said. “I am in a great clinic and they cannot fix my blood. That is not a failure of medicine. That is an outside force.”

“Like what?”

“Matthias,” she said. “He has been too quiet. No moves. No threats. Maybe he knows your future is tied to that baby. If Lisa loses the child and I die, the throne is empty.”

The logic was sharp. Lisa’s tests were clean despite her pain. Evangeline’s body rejected every drug. Matthias had been a ghost for months. I called Franklin. The line rang until the voicemail picked up. I tried again. No answer.

“That is not like him,” I said.

“What if Matthias is being used?” she asked.

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I shook my head. “No. I know the man.”

Franklin always reported in. He never ignored my calls. But he was not answering now.

“We will be on the plané soon,” I said. I stood up. “Things will settle once we are home.”

Evangeline nodded. Her eyes were wide. “Desmond hit Nadia. She found the other woman who is pregnant.” Tears fell down her face. I took her hand.

“Do not cry,” I said. “You cannot have a fever now. Just breathe. I will deal with Desmond later.”

I stayed until her pulse slowed. My mind was already back at the estate, looking for Franklin.

The discharge took three hours. The doctors gave me the new drug schedule. Evangeline needed high doses and strict meal times. They wanted to try the surgery again in four weeks. I took the papers and checked the signatures. The house was ready when we got back. Air filters hummed in her room. The cooks had a short list of allowed food. I checked the windows and the fridge before she sat on the bed.

“You are doing too much,” she said. “I am not afraid of the end. I just see things clearly now.”

I did not answer. I moved the tray over her lap. I checked the labels on her pills. I would not let the surgery fail.

“I want pudding,” she said.

I signaled the maid. When the snack came, she sat up. I set the bowl on the tray and gave her the spoon.

“You first,” she said.

I took a small spoonful of the vanilla and swallowed. I gave the spoon back. She took a bite and then held a scoop up to my mouth. I took it. The sweetness was heavy on my tongue.

“See? It is normal,” she said.

She fed me again. I sat there in the quiet. Then, the lightness came back. It pulled at my focus. I sat back and pressed my hand to my head.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Nothing,” I whispered. My voice felt far away. “I need to sleep,”

The weight in my head grew. I stood up carefully. I walked to the door. The pressure behind my eyes became a dull heat. 1

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