Chapter 189: By her side.
Leonard.
I felt as though my heart was about to be ripped right out of my chest while my brothers stood there flaunting their intimate moments with Theresa.
I kept staring down at her pale, still face, a hollow ache gnawing at my insides as I wondered why on earth she had never shared those kinds of passionate moments with me.
Does she really hate me that much?
Was she merely tolerating my presence all this time simply because of the inescapable pull of our mate bond?
How could she possibly be so cruel as to leave me with absolutely nothing to stand on, completely empty-handed while the others held memories to hold over my head?
"I will punish you for this, Theresa!" I muttered inwardly, my jaw clenching as a dark, possessive anger simmered deep within my soul. "I will punish you to the absolute point that you won’t ever crave Lawrence in the daylight, nor will you seek out Lurgard under the cover of night. All you will ever think about, every single second of your life, will be me." I made that silent, solemn vow to myself as I watched her breathe softly against the stark white hospital sheets.
’Just you wait, Theresa! You had better wake up quickly, because your lessons need to begin the second you open those eyes.’
As their senseless bickering escalated into physical posturing, I reached my breaking point. I couldn’t take the unbearable weight of their taunts for another single second, so I had to yell at the very top of my voice to shatter the noise.
"Enough!"
The loud, thunderous command instantly cut through the room. My brothers froze mid-confrontation, immediately dropping their hands and turning their heads toward me. I sat rigidly beside her bed, staring at both of them with pure, unadulterated fury burning in my eyes.
"If the both of you are finding it so damn hard to coexist in the same room without acting like wild beasts..." I paused, closing my eyes briefly as I slowly took in a deep, steadying breath to keep my composure from shattering entirely. "...then get the hell out!" I continued, letting my harsh glare sweep across the two of them. "Theresa is trying to recover, and she doesn’t need any of this pathetic nonsense."
I honestly couldn’t afford to let the deep, agonizing jealousy consuming me show on the outside.
No matter how fiercely it churned beneath the surface, I forced every trace of it behind the stern, protective mask I had carefully maintained. My expression remained composed, my features unreadable, betraying nothing of the storm raging inside me. To anyone looking, I was calm—steady, even.
But that calmness was nothing more than a carefully constructed façade.
Hidden beneath it lay a selfish desire I couldn’t bring myself to deny, no matter how hard I tried. It settled heavily inside my chest, refusing to disappear.
I wanted to be there.
I wanted to be the one sitting beside Theresa the exact moment her eyes finally fluttered open. I wanted her first glance to fall on me. I wanted to be the first person she saw, the first voice she heard, the first presence she felt after waking.
The thought alone twisted painfully inside my chest, yet I buried it all, refusing to allow even the smallest crack to appear in my composed exterior.
An awkward, suffocating silence settled over the room.
It stretched on relentlessly, pressing down on us with unbearable weight as none of my brothers uttered a single word. The stillness was so complete that every passing second seemed louder than the last.
At length, Lurgard slowly loosened the crushing grip he had on Lawrence’s clothes.
His fingers unclenched one by one before he gave Lawrence a cold, dismissive shove, forcing a small distance between them. Without another glance, he calmly slid both hands deep into the pockets of his coat, his movements measured and surprisingly controlled.
"I will be calm," Lurgard said softly, as his deep voice had lost its earlier edge, dropping into a level of composure that felt far more unsettling than his anger had. "I cannot leave Theresa’s side at this crucial moment."
The moment those words reached my ears, my expression immediately darkened.
The muscles in my jaw tightened almost instinctively, and a fresh wave of emotion surged through me despite every effort I made to keep it hidden.
Lurgard was truly acting like a persistent pest. I had fully expected both of them to feel a sharp sting of guilt and storm out of the room in a cloud of anger or bitter rage, but now, suddenly, he was choosing to act composed and reasonable.
"It’s not simply about leaving her side!" I said, forcing my voice to remain calm despite the frustration rising in my chest. "It is about your sudden, reckless outburst in a hospital room." I paused, letting my eyes narrow as I looked between the two of them. "You both should get out of the room right now," I commanded firmly. "I will take care of her myself!"
Lawrence turned his head toward me, glaring with sharp eyes before letting out a dry, mocking chuckle. "And why, exactly, do I get the distinct feeling that you just want to be the only one by her side when she wakes up?" he asked, a look of dark amusement spreading across his face.
I froze on the spot, the breath catching in my throat.
"What?" my voice echoed through the quiet room, sounding slightly sharper than I intended.
Had I really given myself away that easily?
Was my hidden motive truly that obvious to them?
"Exactly, Leonard," Lurgard chimed in, his confidence surging back as he stepped closer to the foot of the bed. "You’re transparent. But just know that your little scheme isn’t going to work!"
I tightened my hands around the arm of Theresa’s chair, squeezing the material as I desperately tried to regain control of my facial expression and get a firm hold of my rising panic.
’Damn these boys!’