Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Nani hirunkit

His voice lingers in my ears long after the call ends.

“I need you.”

The words were simple, almost casual, but the weight behind them felt like a hook in my chest, pulling at something I couldn’t name.

I stared at my phone, still gripped tightly in my hand, the screen now dark. I replayed the brief conversation in my head, the calm authority in his voice, the way he didn’t ask but stated. “Are you already home?” he’d asked, as though he somehow knew. Like he always knew.

And then, without giving me a chance to respond, he’d added, “Be ready. Someone will pick you up soon.”

Just like that, he hung up. No explanation. No room for questions.

I exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of my neck. “Damn it,” I muttered under my breath.

What bothered me most wasn’t the abruptness or the fact that Sky had disrupted my night again. It was the realization that he knew my home address. He’d always picked me up from the hospital before—never from here. My apartment had always felt like a sanctuary, untouched by his world. But clearly, that was an illusion. Of course, Sky knew where I lived. A man like him left no detail unchecked.

I moved to the window, pulling back the curtain just enough to glance at the street below. Nothing unusual. Just the faint glow of streetlights and a few parked cars. No sleek black vehicles. Not yet.

Ten minutes passed. Then fifteen. I kept telling myself I didn’t care why he’d called. That it wasn’t my problem. That I should be relieved if this turned out to be nothing more than another cryptic summons. But my mind wouldn’t stop spinning. Was he hurt? Was it another ambush?

The sound of the doorbell snapped me out of my thoughts.

I opened the door to find Dew standing there, his usual easygoing smile in place. Relief washed over me before I could stop it. He looked good—steady on his feet, no signs of injury.

“Hello, Dew,” I said, my voice softer than I intended. “How are you? It’s… good to see you.”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly catching the edge of concern in my tone. “I’m good, doctor. His smile widened slightly, as if to reassure me. “Sky is waiting. Can we go now?”

I hesitated, gripping the doorframe. “Why does Sky need me? Is everything okay? Is he hurt?”

Dew chuckled, the sound warm and disarming. “Relax, doctor. He’s fine. No blood, no bullets tonight.” He stepped aside, gesturing toward the sleek black car waiting at the curb. “You’ll see soon enough. Let’s not keep him waiting.”

The reassurance should’ve calmed me, but it didn’t. If anything, it only made me more uneasy. I grabbed my bag and followed him to the car, my heart pounding the entire way.

---

Sky wongravee

I hated waiting.

It wasn’t impatience—patience was a weapon, after all—but tonight, pacing the length of my study, hands clasped behind my back, I felt the slow burn of something else. Anticipation, perhaps. Or something closer to curiosity.

Dr. Nani hirunkit. The man who didn’t belong in my world yet somehow kept slipping further into it. He intrigued me in ways I hadn’t expected. Stubborn and sharp-tongued, he was quick to challenge me despite his fear. And that fear—though ever-present—never seemed to stop him from standing his ground.

He was unlike anyone I’d encountered in years.

But intrigue wasn’t the reason I called him tonight. Not entirely.

Win’s investigation into the attack last month was dragging, and the pieces weren’t falling into place as quickly as I’d hoped. Someone with resources, someone audacious enough to test me, was orchestrating these moves. I didn’t have all the answers yet, but I knew enough to take precautions.

That included keeping Nani within reach.

He didn’t realize it yet, but his presence in my world had already placed him in danger. Perhaps it was selfish of me to keep him close—especially when my life seemed to orbit chaos—but selfishness had never stopped me before.

A knock at the door broke my train of thought. Dew stepped inside, his expression calm but his eyes glinting with quiet amusement.

“He’s here,” he said simply.

I nodded, allowing the faintest smirk to tug at the corner of my mouth. “Bring him in.”

---

Nani hirunkit

The drive to Sky’s mansion was quieter than usual. Dew sat beside me, his posture relaxed, his gaze steady on the road ahead. Normally, I might’ve tried to make conversation, but tonight, the tension in my chest kept my lips pressed shut.

I stared out the window as we passed the gates and into the long driveway. The mansion loomed ahead, its sharp lines and dark silhouette casting shadows against the night sky. It was the same as I remembered—imposing, grand, and entirely unwelcoming.

Dew opened my door when we stopped, gesturing for me to follow him inside. The familiar weight of the mansion’s atmosphere settled over me as we walked through the halls. It was dark, luxurious, and eerily quiet. Yet tonight, there was something different in the air. Something heavier.

When we reached Sky’s study, Dew paused, knocking twice.

“Come in,” Sky’s voice called from the other side, smooth and measured.

Dew opened the door, stepping aside to let me through.

The room was dimly lit, the golden glow of the desk lamp casting long shadows across the walls. Sky stood by the window, his back to me, one hand resting on the glass as he gazed out at the sprawling garden beyond.

“Doctor,” he said without turning around.

I swallowed, stepping further into the room. “You… needed me?”

He turned then, his brown eyes locking onto mine. For a moment, the intensity of his gaze made me forget how to breathe.

“Yes,” he said simply, moving toward me with deliberate slowness. “You’ve been quiet lately. I wanted to check on you.”

“Check on me?” I repeated, frowning. “I thought you called because—”

“Because of some dire emergency?” he interrupted, his lips curving into a faint smirk. “No, doctor. Not tonight.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “Then why—”

He stopped in front of me, closer than I expected. Too close.

“Sometimes,” he said softly, his voice was low and deliberate, “I need to remind people where they stand. Where we stand.”

His gaze dipped briefly, almost imperceptibly, before returning to my face. My skin prickled under the weight of it, a strange mix of tension and… something else.

“I—” I started, but the words failed me.

“Relax, doctor,” he murmured, echoing Dew’s earlier words. But his tone was different—darker, almost teasing. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

-------

Sky wongravee

“Nani.”

His name left my lips sharper than I intended, but it got his attention. He froze, his eyes locking onto mine with a mixture of fear, frustration, and—something else. Something he probably didn’t realize he was showing. His chest rose and fell quickly, like he was trying to force himself to breathe through whatever storm was brewing inside him.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” I said, my tone softer this time, almost teasing.

His jaw tightened. His lips parted as if to speak, but no words came out. It was unlike him—this doctor who had no problem standing his ground, even in the face of chaos. But tonight, his walls seemed cracked.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he blurted finally, the words rushed, as if he’d been holding them in too long.

That gave me pause. I tilted my head slightly, studying him. There was something raw in his voice, something he wasn’t used to showing—concern. Real, unfiltered concern.

I opened my mouth to respond, but then he snapped.

“Damn it, Sky!” His voice rose sharply, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. “I thought something had happened to you—or to Dew, or Win, or whoever the hell else is tangled up in this mess! You disappeared! No calls, no updates—nothing! I thought—”

He cut himself off, his voice cracking slightly. His shoulders were tense, his body trembling with an energy that was equal parts anger and fear.

“You thought you were free from me,” I said, allowing the faintest smile to tug at my lips.

His head snapped up, his dark eyes blazing with frustration. “Free from you? I don’t even know what that means anymore! You’ve turned my life upside down! You vanish for weeks, and then you call out of nowhere and expect me to just—just drop everything? Like it’s normal?”

“You don’t understand,” he said finally, his voice dropping, raw and uneven. “You don’t understand what it feels like to have your life ripped out from under you. I can’t think. I can’t sleep. Everywhere I go, I feel like I’m being watched. Do you know what that’s like? To never feel safe?”

He stopped, his chest heaving, his glare piercing.

“Yes,” I said softly.

The word caught him off guard. His eyes widened slightly, the anger faltering for just a moment.

“Yes,” I repeated, stepping closer. “I know exactly what that’s like. And that’s why I’ve done everything I can to make sure you don’t end up in a grave, doctor.”

He flinched at the bluntness of my words, but I didn’t stop.

“You’re right,” I continued. “I pulled you into my world. I made you a target. And I’m not sorry for it, because if I hadn’t, you’d already be dead.”

“What are you talking about?” he demanded, his voice shaking.

I met his gaze, unflinching. “There was a man outside your apartment two nights ago. He wasn’t there to say hello.”

His face paled, the blood draining from his cheeks as my words sank in.

“My men handled it before he could get close,” I said, my voice softening. “You didn’t notice because they made sure you wouldn’t. But he wasn’t the first, Nani. And he won’t be the last.”

The silence that followed was heavy, suffocating.

“You’ve been having me follow,” he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes,” I admitted. “To keep you alive.”

I stepped closer, closing the distance between us.

“Nani,” I said quietly.

He snapped his head toward me, his glare burning. “Don’t you dare tell me to calm down,” he spat.

“I wasn’t going to,” I replied, keeping my tone even.

Before he could stop me, I reached out, my hand wrapping around his arm. He tensed under my touch, but I didn’t let go. Instead, I pulled him toward me, wrapping my arms around him in a firm but gentle embrace.

He froze, his body rigid against mine, and for a moment, I thought he might shove me away. But he didn’t. Not really. His hands pushed weakly against my chest, but there was no force behind it.

“Calm down, doctor,” I murmured against his ear, my voice low and soothing. “I need you to listen to me.”

“Let go,” he muttered, his voice muffled, though it lacked conviction.

“Not until you calm down,” I replied, my arms still steady around him. “Come on. Sit.”

I guided him to the nearby chair, releasing him only when he reluctantly sat down. His shoulders were stiff, his gaze fixed somewhere past me, but his anger still simmered just beneath the surface.

“I didn’t ask for this,” he muttered, his voice quieter now, but no less fierce. “I didn’t ask for you to barge into my life and turn everything upside down. I didn’t ask to be a part of your world.”

“You think I don’t know that?” I said quietly. “You think I wanted this for you?”

His mouth opened to retort, but I raised a hand to stop him.

“Listen to me, Nani,” I said firmly, my tone leaving no room for argument. “I’ve tried to keep you out of this. That’s why I haven’t contacted you for weeks. That’s why I’ve had men watching you from a distance—making sure you were safe. But it wasn’t enough. My enemies know who you are. They know you’re my doctor—or at least that you’ve been involved with me. And that makes you a target.”

“I don’t know anything about you,” he snapped, his voice rising again. “I don’t know anything about your ‘enemies’ or your goddamn world! You dragged me into this, Sky! I’m a surgeon, not some pawn in whatever game you’re playing!”

“I know,” I said softly, stepping closer to him. “And I don’t want you to be a pawn.

“Who are they?” he demanded, his voice rising again. “Who the hell are these people? What have you gotten me involved in?”

“That’s not something you need to worry about,” I said firmly, and that’s why I’m asking you now to stay here. With me. For your safety.”

He shot to his feet, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. “You want me to stay here? Just abandon my life—my work—everything I’ve built for myself? You want me to give all of that up for you?”

“Yes,” I said simply, meeting his glare without flinching. “If it means keeping you alive, then yes.”

For a moment, we just stared at each other, the air between us crackling with tension. His chest rose and fell, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides.

“You’re impossible,” he muttered finally, shaking his head. “You’re absolutely impossible.”

------

Nani hirunkit

I hated how calm he was.

There I was, trembling, my entire world spinning out of control, and Sky stood there like he’d just suggested I stay over for tea. His eyes didn’t waver, his expression unreadable except for that faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Smug bastard.

“You’re impossible,” I muttered, shaking my head, my voice cracking under the weight of my anger. “You’re absolutely impossible.”

He didn’t even flinch. Instead, that faint smirk of his deepened, like he found my frustration amusing. “And yet you’re still here,” he said softly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I opened my mouth to fire back, to tell him I didn’t want to be here, but the words caught in my throat. My hands balled into fists at my sides, the tremor in them betraying me. I hated this. I hated how small I felt, how powerless. I hated that he was right.

I was still here.

Why was I still here?

I turned back to face him, my heart pounding in my chest. “You say you’re trying to protect me, but you’re the one who put me in danger in the first place. You dragged me into this—into your world—without giving me a choice, and now you’re telling me I have to abandon everything I’ve worked for? My career? My patients? My life? For what?”

“For your safety,” he said quietly, the words simple but firm.

I let out a bitter laugh, the sound raw in my throat. “Safety? What does that even mean in your world, Sky? You call this safe?”

His gaze darkened slightly, the smirk fading from his lips. He stepped forward, his movements slow, deliberate, until the space between us disappeared again. My breath hitched as he loomed closer, his presence filling the room.

“It means keeping you alive,” he said softly, his voice like a low growl. “It means making sure no one lays a hand on you. It means protecting you from men who would do far worse than putting a bullet in your head.”

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. There was no teasing in his tone now, no amusement in his expression. Just something sharp and unyielding, a flicker of something I couldn’t quite name.

“Do you think I want you here?” he continued, his voice rising just enough to make my chest tighten. “Do you think I want to involve you in this mess? You’re right—I dragged you into my world. And now that you’re here, I can’t let you walk away. Not when I know what’s out there waiting for you.”

The weight of his words settled over me like a suffocating blanket. I hated him for saying it. I hated him for making me feel like I had no choice. But more than that, I hated that part of me believed him.

“What do you want from me, Sky?” I asked finally, my voice barely above a whisper. “Why me?.

His lips twitched, but it wasn’t a smirk this time. It was something softer, almost sad. “Because I trust you,” he said simply.

The air left my lungs in a rush. I wasn’t expecting that. Of all the things he could’ve said, that wasn’t one of them.

I stared at him, searching his face for some sign of manipulation, some clue that he was lying. But I found none. His eyes held mine steadily, and for the first time, I saw something raw in them.

“You trust me?” I repeated, my voice was incredulous.

“Yes.”

The single word hit me harder than I wanted to admit. Trust. It was such a simple concept, but coming from him, it carried a weight that made my chest ache. Trust wasn’t something men like Sky gave freely. It wasn’t something he owed me.

But it wasn’t enough.

“Trust doesn’t fix this,” I said, shaking my head. “It doesn’t make it okay. You don’t get to drag me into your mess and then act like trust makes it better.”

“I know,” he said softly, taking another step closer. “I’m not asking you to forgive me, Nani. I’m asking you to stay alive.”

His words hung in the air between us, heavy and inescapable. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to feel. My chest ached with too many emotions—anger, frustration, fear, and something else I wasn’t ready to name.

“I can’t abandon my life for you,” I said finally, the words trembling on my lips. “I can’t just stop being who I am.”

He nodded slowly, his gaze never leaving mine. “I’m not asking you to stop being who you are. I’m asking you to trust me, just as I trust you. Let me keep you safe. Stay here. For now.”

“For how long?” I asked, my voice shaking.

“As long as it takes,” he said simply.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. I wanted to scream. I wanted to throw something, to push him away, to run. But I didn’t.

Because deep down, I knew he was right.

I hated him for it, but I knew.