Dominic stepped into the room, silent and steady. The door clicked shut behind him with a soft thud that echoed too loudly in his ears.
His gaze immediately fell on her.
Ava lay motionless on the bed—pale, listless, and far too still for his liking.
He didn't even think. His feet carried him forward until he was at her side, kneeling down beside the mattress as if drawn by something magnetic.
His hand moved instinctively, brushing against her cheek. Her skin—cool to the touch. Far colder than it should've been.
Damn it.
He had known.
From the moment he saw her that morning, something had felt off. She had smiled as usual, stood tall with her chin raised in that annoyingly elegant way of hers, but there was faint Fatigunesss in her eyes. A faint dullness. He should've seen it more clearly.
And he did. But he ignored it.
Because deep down, he'd been afraid of what it meant to worry about her. And now…
Now, she was lying unconscious in a room he brought her to, looking like she might disappear if he blinked too long.
His hand lingered at her cheek, fingers trembling slightly. When she had collapsed into his arms earlier, her body had felt too light. Frail.
The image of her falling forward, limp, would not leave his mind.
His jaw clenched.
He was furious—at himself. Not just because he didn't notice her condition sooner, but because despite knowing he had no right to feel this way… he still did.
He was the one who brought her here.
He was the one who erased her memory once.
And yet—
These feelings. This tightening in his chest. The inexplicable weight in his gut. It wasn't guilt. No—he had known guilt before, and this was not it.
It was something heavier.
It was the way his eyes always found her in a room, even when she wasn't speaking.
It was the way his voice softened when saying her name.
It was the way he'd caught himself replaying her laugh late at night, more times than he'd ever admit.
Desire. Need. Affection.
No… Something deeper.
The longer she stayed by his side, the more it built up inside him, like a wave that refused to break.
He looked at her again—face serene despite her weakness, lashes fluttering slightly in sleep.
He didn't know how long he sat there, just watching. Just being near her.
And when the knock came, and the doctor entered, he finally rose to his feet.
That was the moment.
The moment he realized—
She means more to me than I ever thought anyone could.
But no matter what happened I won't let you go this time.
---
Present Time
Ava's mouth hung open slightly.
Had he just…?
No, wait. No way. That wasn't a confession, was it?
Her mind scrambled to make sense of it. She replayed his words silently, dissecting the meaning, looking for loopholes. Maybe he meant it professionally. Maybe he just felt responsible. Maybe—
But every road circled back to the same maddening possibility.
Dominic Vale might like her.
Like her, of all people. An ordinary florist living a lie with a fake name and layers of secrets.
Her heart flipped. She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't even close to ready.
While Ava spiraled internally, face flushed and fingers fiddling with the blanket, Dominic observed her quietly from the edge of the bed.
He saw her expression shift—shock, confusion, denial, more confusion.
She looked like someone who had just been told the Earth spun backwards.
And in that moment, he knew.
If he pushed now—if he said anything more—it would only backfire.
She wasn't ready. Her walls were still up. And he didn't want to scare her off.
No. If this was going to happen… it had to be at her pace.
He exhaled softly and stood up.
Ava was so deep in her thoughts she didn't even notice him until his hand gently landed on her head.
She flinched, eyes snapping up to meet his.
Those eyes—wide, vulnerable, stormy blue.
Dominic looked into them calmly and said, voice low and steady, "You're the first personal assistant I've ever had who's lasted this long."
She blinked.
"So I wouldn't want to lose you so easily."
His hand lingered a second longer, then slipped away.
Ava could barely process anything before he added, with the barest of smirks, "Since you don't have a fever anymore, rest. I'll make something simple for you."
"Huh?" she blurted before she could stop herself.
Dominic didn't look back as he headed toward the door. "You should know, every suite in the Orion Hotel comes with its own kitchen. It's time someone used it."
Then he disappeared into the kitchen like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Ava sat frozen for several seconds.
Wait. Did he just say he was going to cook for her?
She blinked rapidly, stunned.
And then, when everything finally clicked together, she groaned and smacked her forehead.
"Idiot. You've definitely gone nuts," she muttered to herself. "Get a grip, Ava."
She covered herself under blanket and embarassedely shouted in her mind.
---