The Rejected Luna (Avery and Kaden) novel Chapter 149

Chapter 149

A tight knot twisted in my stomach as I fixed my gaze on Steven. The moment he ended the call, I couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Don’t even think about telling me you’re leaving to go to Verna,” I said, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and disbelief.

Steven looked down at me, his tone weighed down by exhaustion and worry. “She’s seriously hurt. Her head needed stitches, and she’s on the edge of breaking down…”

I cut him off sharply, my voice drained of any warmth. “So you’re just going to abandon me here and run off to her?”

“Steven,” I continued, frustration bubbling beneath the surface, “her injuries don’t have anything to do with me. I’m hurt too. I haven’t even had my check-up yet, and you’re just going to leave me alone?”

His handsome brow creased in concern as I locked eyes with him. A cold, bitter smile crept over my lips. “Have you even thought about what might happen if they come after me while I’m by myself? My phone’s smashed, the battery’s almost dead—I can barely call for help. What am I supposed to do? Fight them off on my own? Aren’t you afraid they might kill me?”

“Shut up!” Steven snapped suddenly, his face hardening with an intensity I hadn’t seen before. “You’re so young. Why do you always talk like you want to die? Do you realize how irresponsible that sounds?”

His sharp tone stunned me into silence. I’d never witnessed him react so sensitively to the idea of death before. It was as if a deep wound had been reopened, like someone he cared about had been lost.

In our past life, he was never like this. He once coldly told me he’d have a coffin ready for me.

Steven seemed to realize he had gone too far. He pressed his lips together, his eyes never leaving mine. “I’m not abandoning you. I won’t. Verna’s in the main hospital wing. They can do your tests there. Once the doctor finishes treating your face, we’ll go together. You can get your check-up there instead.”

“She’s young,” he added quietly. “This is the first time she’s faced something like this. She needs someone she trusts to be there for her, or I’m afraid she might lose her mind.”

Honestly, if anyone else had said that, I might have thought I was being unreasonable. But this was Steven.

A humorless laugh escaped me. “And this isn’t the first time for me? She’s not that young—we’re the same age. What, do I have to start crying for you to realize that I was scared too?”

I studied the flicker of emotions crossing his face. “Steven, if you’d just be honest and admit that Verna means more to you than anything else, that you’re willing to leave me here to fend for myself just to be with her, I wouldn’t find this so pathetic. I wouldn’t despise you so much.”

His breath caught, and his dark eyes narrowed as he spoke with forced calm.

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