Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 137

Once Willa finished up her work, she opened the door and walked out, only to find the living room empty.

Miles had left at some point.

As she turned around, she happened to run into Randal coming out of the master bedroom.

His complexion looked significantly better than the day before, though the dark circles under his eyes were still prominent.

"When did you get back?" Willa asked casually.

"What, were you hoping Miles would live here instead?" Randal frowned, instantly reverting to his usual abrasive demeanor.

Willa choked on her words, mentally rolling her eyes.

Fine, he was a patient. She wasn't going to argue with him.

"Randal, can we talk?" she asked cautiously, terrified that a careless phrase might snap his fragile nerves.

Perhaps the therapy session had actually helped, because Randal walked over to the sofa, sat down, and patted the spot next to him without rejecting the idea.

"Sure."

Willa sat down next to him, deliberately leaving a little space between them.

Randal's eyes darkened for a split second, but he didn't comment on it.

After mentally bracing herself, she finally spoke up. "Randal, I can stay, but I refuse to be your mistress."

Randal's expression shifted drastically. He stared at her blankly, seemingly unable to grasp the connection.

Willa continued explaining, "I don't care what other people think, but we need to lay down some ground rules."

He nodded, gesturing for her to go on.

"We sleep in separate beds, and no more sleeping together."

"No," Randal rejected it instantly.

Willa sighed. "Randal, I have my pride. If you can't even agree to this, then my only option is to pack up and leave Norvale for good. You know as well as I do that someone will always be willing to help me."

Randal tilted his head slightly, his brows pulled into a tight knot as if he were weighing the pros and cons.

After a long pause, he finally gave in. "Fine. As long as you don't think about running away, I accept. What else?"

"I will accompany you to your appointments, and in return, you have to fully cooperate with the doctor's treatments."

That wicked smirk surfaced again. "But I didn't break any rules just now. You never said I couldn't hug you or kiss you."

"You..." Willa was utterly speechless.

He pulled her closer, his voice softening into a pitiful plea. "Willa, just let me hold you."

"If you don't let me hold you, I feel awful. When I feel awful, I can't sleep. When I can't sleep, I don't get better. And you said you'd help me get better."

He sounded so ridiculously confident in his logic that Willa didn't know whether to be angry or laugh.

Since when did Randal learn how to be such a shameless rogue?

"Randal..."

"Also," he interrupted, his eyes suddenly glinting with danger. "You mentioned someone would help you get away from me?"

"Who? Corbin Sommers?" His fingers trailed down from her forehead and lightly pinched her chin, forcing her to look up at him.

Her eyes instantly locked onto a gaze swirling with paranoia and madness.

"Willa, believe me when I say, if you dare to run, I will tear the Sommers family to the ground."