The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 311

Riley quickly walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. Afraid of startling Madeline, she kept her voice incredibly soft and gentle. "Madeline."

Madeline's expression remained vacant. It took her a few seconds to slowly turn her head and look at Riley. "Who are you?"

Riley recognized that Madeline was dissociating, unable to distinguish reality from her nightmare. The immediate priority was grounding her. Instead of answering the question, Riley gently instructed, "Look around the room for me. Tell me what you see."

Madeline stared blankly ahead. "The window."

"What else?"

"The curtains."

"Good. Anything else?"

"The lamp. The dresser. The bed."

Riley smiled encouragingly. "You're doing great. Now tell me, what can you touch?"

Madeline looked down at the blanket she was desperately clutching. "The blanket."

"What about your feet? What are they touching?"

"The bedsheets."

Riley held out her phone. "Touch this. What is it?"

Madeline reached out. "A phone."

Riley quickly grabbed a pillow and handed it over. "And this?"

"A pillow."

Riley gave an affirming nod. "Exactly right." She sniffed the air deliberately. "Now, tell me, what does the room smell like?"

Madeline sniffed. "Soothing incense."

"Anything else?"

Madeline took another deep breath, furrowing her brows slightly. "Evie, there are no other smells."

"Thank you."

Riley offered a soft smile. "It's late. You should get some sleep too."

"I will."

Riley went back to her room and this time fell asleep quickly. But in her dreams, the terrifying, desperate images resurfaced. The tattooed man. Him grabbing her leg. Her clothes tearing...

The suffocating weight of sheer terror enveloped her completely.

"Get away! Don't touch me!"

Just as her nerves were stretched to their absolute breaking point, she caught a familiar, grounding scent—a woody, cold cologne. She clung to the source of that scent like a drowning woman clutching a piece of driftwood, refusing to let go.

Sebastian stood leaning over the bed, watching as Riley wrapped her arms around his arm like an octopus. A helpless smile touched his lips, though his eyes were filled with pure, unadulterated affection.

After a few moments, seeing her frantic breathing finally slow into a steady rhythm, Sebastian tried to gently extract his arm. But just as he almost slipped free, Riley's grip suddenly tightened like a vice. No matter how he tried, he couldn't pull away.