Chapter 8
Saviour
Veronica’s POV
I woke to an unfamiliar ceiling, the faint sound of rain tapping against the windows. My body felt heavy, my limbs weighed down by exhaustion and the lingering ache of the fever that had left me drained. For a moment, I stayed still. letting the warmth of the blanket around me seep into my chilled bones.
The realization that I wasn’t at home–or what used to be home–hit me
suddenly, and I sat up with a start. The room was elegant but unfamiliar, decorated in muted tones of gray and dark wood. My breath quickened as I tried to make sense of my surroundings.
Where am I? Did I get kidnapped? I tried to move my hands just in case I was tied to the bed and surprisingly, it moved.
“You’re awake.”
The deep voice startled me, and I turned to see Orthon standing near the doorway, a tray of tea and some medicine in his hands. His expression was calm, as it always seemed to be, but there was a trace of concern in those beautiful eyes.
I could literally feel the colour creeping into my cheeks as I took in his features. Was he the one in that car from earlier?
“Orthon?” I asked, my voice scratchy and weak. My surprise was evident -I hadn’t seen him in years, yet here he was, appearing again during the worst moments of my life.
Embarrassment slowly replaced my surprise.
“Yes.” he said, stepping into the room and placing the tray on the bedside table. “How are you feeling?”
He sounded more concerned than even my own husband. Ex–husband I mean. Carter was now a thing of the past.
“Better. I think.” I shifted under the blanket, the embarrassment of being in his home sinking in. “What… what am I doing here?”
“You fainted in the street,” he explained, pouring a cup of tea and handing it to me. “I found you in the rain. You were in no condition to be left there.”
“Quite a shabby damsel in distress, huh?” I joked to hide the fact that I wanted the bed to suck me in.
He chuckled. “Quite the opposite, actually.”
Despite how light he sounded, I couldn’t help but feel like I was a burden to him.
I took the tea hesitantly, feeling the heat seep into my trembling hands. “Thank you.” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.
“You don’t need to thank me,” he said simply, sitting in the chair beside the bed. “Anyone with a conscience would’ve done the same.”
But we both knew that wasn’t true. Plenty of people had walked past me that night without so much as a glance. Orthon was the only one who had stopped, the only one who had cared enough to help.
“I must have been a mess,” I said, trying to lighten the mood despite the heat of embarrassment crawling up my neck.
“You were,” he said, a flicker of a smile crossing his face. “But you’re safe
now That’s what matters
1 nodded, my hands tightening around the cup Safe. It was a word I hadn‘
1 fell in a long time
As I sipped the tea, a sudden thought struck me, and I froze. My fingers. darted to the pocket of my coat, which was folded neatly on a chair beside
the bed
It wasn’t there… my blood pressure shot up. Did I lose it in the ram? Oh
God!
“My card.” I said, panic lacing my voice “I had a business card. It’s important-”
“You mean this?”
I looked up to see Orthon holding the card between his fingers, hist expression calm but curious.
Relief flooded me, and I set the tea aside to take the card from him. “Thank you.” I breathed, clutching it tightly. “I thought I’d lost it.”
“It seemed important to you,” he said, leaning back in his chair “You held. onto it even as you passed out.”
I had to That was the last thing my grandmother gave to me Losing it
would have been terrible.
My grandmother didn’t relate much with people and she barely even knew people. Whoever this person was, it was someone important to her.
Who knows, it might even be a relative. The thought made me feel a little giddy. It would be really nice having someone else to call family
“It is.” I said, my voice was more steady now. “My grandmother gave it to me. She told me to reach out to this person if I ever needed help.”
Orthon’s expression shifted slightly, a flicker of recognition passing through his eyes. “And you’re planning to use it?”
I hesitated before nodding. “I don’t have a choice. I’ve hit a dead end everywhere else.”
He studied me for a moment before speaking again, his tone careful. “Do you know who the card belongs to?”
I frowned. glancing down at the embossed name on the card. “I know his name. My grandmother trusted him. That’s all I know.”
Orthon’s lips twitched into the faintest of smiles. “He’s my teacher.”
The revelation left me stunned. “Your… teacher?”
He nodded, his gaze steady. “Yes. He’s the one who trained me, mentored me. And now you’re looking for him.”
I stared at him, my mind racing. What were the odds? And why would my grandmother send me to someone connected to Orthon, of all people?
Taking a seat by my side, he asked, “So tell me, Veronica, why are you looking for my teacher?”
