His for a year. - Chapter 43: Chapter 43

“Relax,” he said softly, as if he could feel the tension radiating off me.
I nodded, biting my lip.
He folded the blanket down carefully, like it was some sacred ceremony, then lifted my leg just slightly to clean around my shin and ankle with the same slow, deliberate strokes. His fingers were gentle but firm, like he knew exactly what he was doing.
Then he reached my foot.
“Want a massage?” he asked, barely looking up.
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. My brain had completely shut down.
So he did it anyway.
He started with the heel, kneading with his thumbs in slow, practiced circles. Then the arch, pressing in just the right spot that sent a warm chill up my spine. By the time he moved to the ball of my foot and gently rolled his knuckles across the pressure points, I let out a small sigh I couldn’t suppress if I tried.
His eyes flicked up and caught the sound. He smirked—softly, almost like it pained him to enjoy this too much.
“I didn’t know you were this good at—” I started to say.
“Touching you?” he finished, voice low.
My cheeks burned instantly.
“I was going to say—nevermind,” I muttered, flustered.
And then, just as his hands moved to my other foot, the door swung open with a loud creak.
“Oh my God,” Aliyah said, nearly dropping her shopping bag.
Jake peeked over her shoulder and grinned. “Y’all should just get a room.”
Without missing a beat, Zade replied dryly, “We’re technically already in one.”
I groaned and yanked the blanket over my legs.
Jake burst out laughing, while Aliyah gave Zade a look sharp enough to slice marble.
“Seriously?” she snapped. “You’re massaging her feet now?”
“She’s my wife,” Zade said with a small shrug. “And she’s recovering.”
“You—ugh!” Aliyah turned to me, clearly scandalized. “Olive?”
I buried my face in the pillow. “I’m recovering. I have no say.”
Jake shook his head with a smirk. “This hospital recovery arc is wild. I'm loving it.”
Jake grabbed her arm. “Let’s go. We’ll give them space.”
He said "them" like it was a curse word.
As they walked out, Zade leaned over and whispered close to my ear, “Should I keep going? Or have I embarrassed you enough for one morning?”
I peeked at him from under the blanket.
“Ugh, stop teasing,” I said.
His grin turned wicked.
“No promises.”
The door clicked softly behind Aliyah and Jake, leaving a hush behind.
Zade turned back to me slowly, his expression different now—quieter. The warmth in his gaze hadn’t left, but there was something else behind it too. A question. A worry.
He pulled the chair closer again and sat down. “Olive,” he said gently, “do you remember anything from the accident? Anything at all. The car. The driver. Even a smell. A sound. Anything strange?”
I tried.
Tried to dig through the shattered glass in my mind, through the blinding light and the roar of metal against metal. But it was like trying to pick up water with my fingers. Nothing stayed still.
“My head…” I winced, pressing my fingers to my temple. “It still hurts. Everything’s scattered. I remember… screaming. Ray bleeding. I think I saw someone run… but I can’t picture their face. I don’t even know if it was real or just my imagination.”
He exhaled, eyes fixed on mine. “It’s okay. Don’t force it.”
I swallowed, the fear creeping up my throat now that I said it aloud.
“Do you think…” I hesitated, then looked at him, my voice trembling. “Do you think someone really wanted to kill me?”
There. I’d said it. The question that had been clawing at the back of my mind since the moment I woke up.
His jaw clenched slightly. “It doesn’t matter what I think,” he said softly. Then leaned closer, his tone firmer. “What matters is that no one will ever get close to you again. Not while I’m around. Not while you’re mine.”
My chest tightened. He made it sound like what we had was real.
The way he said it—low and full of intent—it made something inside me shake.
But I didn’t know if it was fear, relief… or something dangerously close to comfort.
He must have felt the shift in the air between us, because he looked away briefly. Then he stood.
“I’ll call Aliyah in,” he said. “You need to eat. I’ll make sure she brings something better than mashed potatoes this time.”
I gave a small, breathless laugh, then caught myself.
He started toward the door but paused with his hand on the handle. “Try not to think too hard tonight,” he said, his voice quiet. “We’ll figure everything out. You’re not alone, Olive.”
And then he walked out.
The door closed again with that same soft click, but it echoed louder this time. As if sealing something in the room with me.
I stared at the ceiling, my throat tight. Alone with my thoughts, they poured in without mercy.
What if it hadn’t been an accident? What if someone was trying to silence me?
What had I gotten myself into?
And more frightening—why did Zade’s presence feel like the safest place in the middle of all this?
Aliyah came in with eggs and bacon that tasted like cardboard. She spoon fed the food into my mouth with the same determination she used yesterday. Jake had managed to sneak in tea too, and even though it was lukewarm and too sweet, it soothed my throat a little.
“You need your strength,” she said firmly. “Even if it’s just a few bites.”
I nodded, chewing slowly, still feeling that hollow tightness in my chest.
Then, as she wiped my lips with a tissue, she said casually, “By the way, when we were coming in earlier, I saw someone standing by your door. Just… standing. Their face was covered. I thought maybe it was a nurse, but when Jake turned to ask, they vanished.”
My hand froze on my lap.
“Vanished?” I repeated, feeling the cold trickle down my spine.
Jake added, “I followed down the corridor, but it’s like they disappeared into thin air.”
A cold chill slid through my veins. My eyes darted to the door like it might open again without warning.
Zade walked back in a moment later, a fresh bottle of water in hand. He looked between us, sensing the shift in the air.
“What’s wrong?”
I told him. The shadowy figure. The vanishing act. My voice trembled halfway through, but he was already walking toward me, his brows furrowed.
“Go check on Ray,” I said suddenly, needing something to focus on that wasn’t my rising panic. “You said he's still here. Maybe you should check on him.”
He looked reluctant. “Are you sure? I don’t want to—”
“I’m fine,” I lied. “Just… please. Go see if he's okay.”
Zade stared at me for a beat longer before finally nodding. “Two minutes. I’ll be right back.”
He left.
Not up to two minutes later, chaos exploded outside the hallway.
Yelling. Footsteps pounding the floors. Metal clanging. A loud crash.
Aliyah shrieked, ducking and covering her head. Jake moved with lightning speed, rushing to the door and locking it. Then he pressed himself against the wall beside it, ready for anything.
“Oh my God,” Aliyah whispered, clutching my hand. “What’s happening? Do you think it’s them? Zade? Ray?”
“I—I don’t know.” My voice shook, fear rising in my throat like bile.
We listened, frozen, as the sounds grew louder. A nurse screaming. Something shattered. My heart pounded so hard it echoed in my ears.
Then—a loud bang on the door.
Aliyah screamed. I jolted up in bed, my breath ragged.
“Jake, don’t open it!” she yelled.
“Wait,” Jake said, peeking through the tiny slit in the door. Then he unlocked it quickly.
Zade and Ray burst in, panting. Ray leaned heavily against the wall, still weak but upright. Zade’s shirt was wrinkled, stained with something I couldn’t even begin to ask about.
“We have to go. Now,” Zade said, moving straight to me and trying to lift me from the bed.
“What’s happening?” I asked, panic lacing my voice.
“No time,” he muttered. I’ll explain in the car.”
He fumbled with the IV tube, frustration flashing in his eyes. “Damn it—how do you remove this?”
Ray stepped forward, steadier now. “I’ll get a nurse.”
Zade helped me sit up as Ray left, and pulled out his phone with one hand. His other hand stayed protectively on my back.
“Yes,” he said into the phone. “Bring both cars to the emergency exit. Now.”
He hung up without waiting for a response.
Whatever was happening—this wasn’t just about a random accident anymore.
This was real.
And it was coming for me.