Chapter 570

Isn’t this guy supposed to be a total germaphobe? So why was he always holding my hand or pulling me into random hugs?

Before I could yank my hand away, the guy lying in the hospital bed caught my attention. It wasn’t Hayden. The guy’s face twisted into a scowl as soon as he saw me. His eyebrows shot up. “Why the hell did you bring her here?” he snapped at Hernan.

Hernan didn’t even flinch, just held my hand tighter and led me over to the couch. “Taking her to the match. Thought we’d stop by. How’s the recovery?”

Bruno’s face went this nasty shade of gray, and I knew exactly why. Hayden had crammed a snooker ball in his… well, let’s just say it was super awkward. It was… super awkward.

“Hernan, if you’re not helping me get revenge, fine. But why bring her here?” Bruno’s voice was full of anger.

“Simple. She’s with me now. Don’t even think about touching her,” Hernan said, holding our joined hands up like he was making some kind of declaration.

Bruno let out a bitter laugh. “So I just gotta take this loss, huh?”

“What happened to you has nothing to do with her,” Hernan shot back, eyes narrowing. “You started this mess, not her. Besides, she wasn’t the one who actually did the deed.”

Suddenly, it clicked why Hernan had brought me here.

“But it all started because of her,” Bruno muttered, resentment dripping from his voice.

Hernan didn’t miss a beat. “And that’s on you. You started trouble with her. Own it.”

With that, he shut Bruno down.

Bruno’s jaw tightened as he glared at me. “She brought it on herself, getting mixed up in Steve’s mess.”

Everything came back to cause and effect. I’d only gotten involved because I was worried about Steve, but somehow that concern threw me right into the middle of all this.

I couldn’t help thinking about how Jace had told me about Steve’s trouble. For a second, I wondered—had Jace set me up?

But the thought faded fast; if he’d wanted to mess with me, he wouldn’t have warned me, then shown up at Hernan’s estate to “rescue” me. He probably had no idea how deep Steve was in.

“She didn’t do it intentionally. Maybe she was even used,” Hernan said, suddenly defending me. His words hit me hard. Was he saying I’d been manipulated all along? Did he know something I didn’t?

Chapter 5

Bruno sneered. “You’re really defending this bitch? Don’t tell me you’re into her now.”

Herman smirked. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Bruno’s face twisted with disgust. “She’s just a used-up toy.”

Ouch. That one stung. Without thinking, I yanked my hand free, grabbed a cup off the table, and threw it at him. Bruno dodged, but water splashed all over him. He went bright red and jumped out of bed, furious. “You bitch—how dare you—”

“She was right to throw it,” Hernan cut him off, his voice calm. “Want to find out what it feels like to have a ball shoved in your mouth?”

Bruno went dead silent, his face turning an ugly shade of green.

“We came here to tell you one thing,” Hernan continued, his arm tightening around my shoulder. “If you want revenge, go after the one who actually hurt you. But her”—he squeezed my shoulder—“she’s off-limits. Next time you see her, show some respect.”

With that, he gave me a little pat and started walking. “Let’s go to the match.”

Once we were outside Bruno’s room, I stopped in the hallway and looked up at Hernan. He raised an eyebrow, like he knew exactly what I was thinking. “If you have questions, go ahead and ask.” My heart was pounding, caught somewhere between nerves and… something else I couldn’t name. Hernan had just gone out of his way to protect me, and it didn’t add up. I’d already asked him why he was being so nice, and he’d brushed it off with some vague answer about finding me “pleasing.” But that couldn’t be the whole story.

If I was just a pawn against Hayden or a way to mess with Steve, all he had to do was keep me alive. No reason to treat me like someone special—someone he actually wanted to protect.