Chapter 475
The room fell quiet, but Kristine’s mind was somewhere far from it.
It didn’t matter where her thoughts took her — her body was still confined to that room. She pressed her anger and fear down beneath the surface and forced herself to think clearly.
Running was out of the question. Her only option now was to focus on getting well.
“Ms. Green.” Driscoll’s voice pulled her back.
“Yes?”
“Time’s up. Let’s see it.”
She had forgotten she was still holding the thermometer. She handed it over, and Driscoll looked at it, the tension in his face easing noticeably. “The fever’s broken.”
He stepped out to deliver the news to Colton.
The rigidity in Colton’s jaw finally released. He started toward the bedroom, then paused and caught up with Driscoll in the corridor. “Did she say anything to you?”
Driscoll remembered Kristine’s request and shook his head without hesitation. “Not a word.”
Colton studied him for a moment, frowned faintly, then dismissed him with a wave.
He pushed open the bedroom door.
Kristine was lying with her eyes firmly shut. He could tell she was pretending, but he let it go. She had been fighting him on everything lately. If he was patient, she would wear herself out eventually.
He stood watching her for a long moment, and all at once the exhaustion of the night caught up to him at once. He crossed to the sofa and sank into it, and the room fell completely silent.
Some time later, Kristine stirred. She turned her head slowly — and when she saw that Colton was genuinely asleep on the sofa, the rigid tension finally left her body.
The rest of the night passed without a sound.
By morning, the rain had stopped.
When Kristine came downstairs, she found Victoria already inside, soaking wet and sitting stiffly on the sofa. Kristine looked at her for just a moment — then immediately looked away.
“Stay for breakfast,” Bryanna announced, her voice carrying through the quiet of the house.
Colton glanced at Kristine, then placed a hand lightly on her back and guided her toward the dining room without a word.
At the table, Bryanna was the only other person present. The younger Yates relatives had all slipped away the night before, and Victoria was conspicuously absent — clearly unwilling to share a meal with Kristine.
Kristine ate in small, unhurried bites, conducting herself as though the formidable woman across from her were simply part of the furniture.
When she was done, she pressed a napkin to her lips and waited quietly for Colton to finish.
Bryanna watched them both with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “You’ve certainly made quite an impression, Kristine. You have my grandson completely in your hands.”
The barb was unmistakable. Kristine didn’t take it. She offered a small, composed smile instead. “He stays by my side because he chooses to.”