The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 284

Chapter 250: The Drift Begins-2

By any look, he was doing everything right. But the space between his chair and my bed felt like a mile.

Clam

I shifted against the pillows, making the sheets rustle. Caleb looked up immediately, his eyes scanning my face.

“Are you hurting?” he asked, setting his laptop on the table. He stood up and walked over to the side of the bed. “Do you need me to call Linda?”

“No,” I said softly, looking up at him. “The pressure is fine. I am just… tired of looking at these four walls.”

Caleb rubbed the back of his neck, a tired sigh escaping his lips. “I know, Bella. Dr. Okafor said it is just a few more weeks. We just have to keep the baby safe.”

“I know,” I said. I reached out and took his hand. His skin was warm, and his grip was firm. But as I held his hand, it felt like pressing my palm against a pane of glass. He was right there, but I could not reach him. “Caleb, talk to me. Really talk to me. Not about the medical charts, or Tom’s school, or the company

restructure.”

Caleb blinked, looking confused. “What do you want to talk about? Is something wrong? Did the doctors say something while I was out of the room?”

“No, nothing like that,” I said, my voice dropping. I wanted to tell him how lonely I was, even with him sitting four feet away. I wanted to tell him I was scared.

But the words stuck in my throat. I pulled my hand back, sliding it under the blankets. “Never mind. It is nothing.”

Caleb watched me for a moment. He saw me pull away, but he just nodded. “Okay. If you are sure.” He leaned down, kissed my forehead, and walked back to his chair, picking his laptop back up.

By Tuesday afternoon, the silence between us had only grown. Caleb stood by the large window, staring down at his phone. He looked professional, his shoulders broad, but there was a tightness in his jaw.

“The Volkova situation has moved to the final stage,” Caleb said, his voice flat and businesslike as he stared at his screen. “I need to fly out for the closing. Three days, maybe four.”

My chest tightened. The Volkova deal was huge-fourteen months of heavy European negotiations. I knew he had to go eventually, but hearing it out loud made the room feel even emptier.

“Of course,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “Take whatever time you need.”

Caleb looked up from his phone. He stepped away from the window and came over to the bed, sitting on the edge of the mattress. He did a quick scan of my face, looking for a problem to solve.

“I will be back before the weekend,” he said, his voice softening slightly.

“I know,” I said and held out my hand. Caleb took it, leaning down so I could rest my head against his shoulder.

We stayed like that for a few minutes. It was comfortable, and I loved him completely, but the distance was still there.

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<Chapter 250 The Doft Begins 2

Clam

He stood up and rubbed his hands over his face, looking bone-tired. “I’ll call you from the hotel tonight.”

“Okay,” I replied.

He picked up his charcoal suit jacket from the chair and checked his phone one last time. Then, he bent down and kissed me goodbye. It was a warm, unhurried kiss, his hand resting briefly against my jaw. It was a perfectly good kiss between two people who loved each other, but it felt ordinary. It lacked the spark we used to have before the stress and the hospital walls took over.

“Take care of our baby,” he whispered near my ear,

“I will. Safe flight,” I said.

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