The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback (Astra and Zayne) novel Chapter 164

9:50 Mon, Aug 3

Chapter 164

Chapter 164

ZANE

Two days later

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I couldn’t get myself to step out of the car and walk into Kingsley Medical Hospital. So I just sat there with my head against the steering wheel, eyes closed, dragging in a deep breath. I’d been here for the past thirty minutes and still couldn’t go in to see Astra’s mother.

I pushed off the wheel just as someone stepped out of the hospital, tears streaming down her face. A man rushed after her and grabbed her hand, but she yanked it away and kept walking. Another couple passed them on their way inside. Watching people go in and out only made the unease in my chest worse.

Why couldn’t I go in there?

I already knew the answer. I was just pretending I didn’t.

What the hell would I even tell her? What if she asked about Astra?

“Fuck.”

I slammed my hand against the wheel. The horn blasted for a second. I was supposed to take care of her. Protect her. I made a promise to keep her daughter safe, and I failed.

I felt pathetic. Stupid. An intense, corrosive anger sat in my gut, aimed only at myself. Every day spent staring at the ceiling, replaying everything I’d ever done to my Trouble. Every time I’d called her Trashtra. Every time I’d slammed her against lockers or deliberately crashed into her just to watch her fall. Truth was, I used to like the way she looked up at me from the floor-those sharp blue eyes that felt like they were burning straight through me until I couldn’t breathe.

Knock. Knock.

Something tapped against the glass and snapped me out of it. I turned and found a hospital security guard standing by my window, making a gesture for me to roll it down.

I stared at him for a few seconds before lowering the window. All the outside noise rushed in at once, feeding the headache that had lived in my skull since Astra disappeared.

I winced. “Yes?”

He looked me over. His nose flared like he was sniffing for something, eyes darting to the back seat, then the passenger side, then back to me. I almost laughed. Did this guy actually think I was in here smoking or hiding drugs?

He opened his mouth, but I pushed the door open before he could finish. He stumbled back just in time to

avoid it.

I slammed the door shut, ignored him, and headed for the hospital entrance. Heavy footsteps followed, along with a voice calling after me.

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9:50 Mon, Aug 3

Chapter 164

“Hey-hey, wait!”

Against my better judgment, I stopped and turned. He halted in front of me, face red with fury.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

I looked down at him. People near the entrance had started glancing our way.

I tilted my head slightly, the corner of my mouth lifting in something that wasn’t quite a smile.

“To visit someone,” I said, voice calm. “Unless the hospital has started requiring an invitation.”

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His eyes narrowed. “You can’t just park here for half an hour and then walk in like you own the place. This is a hospital, not your private driveway.”

I took one slow step closer.

He instinctively shifted back.

“You’re right,” I murmured. “It isn’t my driveway.”

I leaned in just enough that only he could hear the next words. My voice dropped, quiet and completely empty of warmth.

“But if you ever put your hands on me again, or try to stop me from walking through those doors…. I’ll make sure the only thing left of you is a very quiet, very permanent stay in one of these rooms.”

I pulled back, still watching him with the same flat expression.

“Clear?”

The color drained from his face so fast it was almost impressive. His mouth opened, then closed. Whatever stubbornness he’d been holding onto evaporated.

I didn’t wait for an answer. I turned and walked straight toward the entrance. The automatic doors slid open in front of me.

Inside, the cool, sterile air hit my face. I kept walking until I reached the floor where she was staying, not looking at anyone until someone tapped me from behind.

I stiffened and turned. It was just a nurse-one I vaguely remembered from the times I’d come here with Astra.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Ashton. Are you here to see Miss Hawthorne?”

I nodded, raking a hand through my hair.

She sighed. “Mrs. Hawthorne has been asking for her daughter all morning.”

The words made my chest tighten.

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9:50 Mon, Aug 3

Chapter 164

“Does she know?”

The nurse gently shook her head.

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“No. With her condition… we didn’t think it was in her best interest. We tell her Astra is delayed or at school. Sometimes she accepts it.”

She paused, then added quietly,

“Sometimes she asks again five minutes later.”

A few minutes later I stood outside her door, hand frozen on the knob, heart racing. I couldn’t even remember what else the nurse and I had talked about.

I slowly turned the handle, then stopped when I heard voices inside.

“…I’m not leaving.”

Aurelia’s voice was soft, but there was a stubborn edge underneath it.

Then a man’s voice answered, soft and controlled.

“You need to reconsider.”

“I’ve lived here for years.” she replied.

“And it’s no longer safe.”

My fingers tightened around the doorknob. Safe?

Aurelia sighed. “You should go.”

“Not until you listen.”

“I listened many years ago.”

Silence settled between them, thick and heavy. Then the man’s voice dropped lower.

“I’ve already arranged somewhere else for you.”

“I don’t want somewhere else.”

“This isn’t a request.”

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