The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 183

"Don't worry. I'll handle it."

Cassandra gave a firm nod.

"Thank you, Manager Hayes."

Garrison reached out and shook Vivienne's hand, followed quickly by Wyatt.

A few moments later, their figures disappeared down the end of the corridor.

*

Out on the Antarctic ice sheet.

The light inside the tent cast a warm, yellow glow.

Josh knelt on the sleeping mat, gently pulling Sloane's hand toward him, palm down. A thin layer of scab had formed over the wound, its edges turning a frosty white while tiny streaks of blood continued to seep from the center.

"Bear with me, Sloane. I need to apply the antiseptic."

He dug through the medical kit, pulled out an iodine swab, and tore open the packaging. Holding it up to the light, he checked how saturated the cotton was before carefully pressing it against her skin.

Sloane's fingers didn't even twitch.

Josh moved with excruciating slowness, working the swab in slow circles from the outer edge toward the center. He knew the iodine would sting the frostbitten tissue, so he kept his touch feather-light. Every time the swab grazed the raw interior of the wound, his own brow furrowed in sympathy.

It was as if he could feel her pain.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, his voice steeped in absolute gentleness.

"No."

Josh glanced up at her, said nothing, and went back to cleaning. A second swab. Then a third. He set the used ones aside in a perfectly neat row, treating them with the precision of a lab experiment.

Next, he took a roll of gauze, snipped a small square, placed it over the wound, and secured it with medical tape. He tore three strips of tape, all perfectly uniform in length, smoothing them down until there wasn't a single crease.

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