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Chapter 761:

Cole was asleep, his head resting on the edge of the bed, still holding her hand and pressing it against his cheek. Even in sleep, there was a soft, relieved smile on his lips.

A wave of nausea washed over her.

She wrenched her hand free, hard enough to wake him.

Cole’s head snapped up. His eyes were bleary with sleep, but they lit up the moment he saw her awake.

“June!” He jumped to his feet. “You’re awake. How do you feel? Does anything hurt p>

He reached out instinctively to touch her forehead.

June flinched away, turning her head.

𝗧𝗁е bes𝘁 𝗋𝗲𝘢𝖽𝗂𝘯𝗀 𝖾x𝗽е𝗋i𝗲𝗇𝗰е 𝗈𝘯

Her eyes were ice. Absolute zero. She looked at him the way one looks at something unpleasant and disposable.

“Don’t touch me,” she said. Her voice was hoarse, but there was no emotion in it—no anger, no hatred. Just cold, complete indifference.

Cole’s hand froze in midair.

But he didn’t get angry. He didn’t scowl. He didn’t raise his voice.

Instead, he smiled. A soft, indulgent, knowing smile.

Because he knew. He knew this was just her pride talking. He knew she was scared—scared to admit that she loved him, scared to get hurt again. He had seen the real her last night. The vulnerable, broken girl who had begged him not to leave.

This was just an act.

“Okay,” he said, stepping back, his voice gentle. “I won’t touch you. I’m sorry. I was just so worried about you p>

June stared at him.

That smile. That strange, knowing smile. It made her skin crawl.

“Get out, Cole,” she said. “I don’t want you in my room p>

Cole pulled the chair over and sat down, crossing his legs. He leaned back, looking completely at home. Completely unshakable.

“No,” he said.

June’s eyes narrowed. “I said get out p>

“You begged me not to leave last night,” he said, his voice quiet. “You held my hand and told me you missed me. I made you a promise, June. I’m never leaving you again p>

“I had a fever of 104 degrees,” she said. “If a dog had been sitting beside my bed, I would have grabbed its paw too p>

Any other man would have been furious. Any other man would have lost his temper.

But Cole just smiled—slow and patient, as though he were humoring a stubborn child.

“Sure, baby,” he said. “Whatever you say. I know the truth p>

June stared at him.

He was insane. Completely, utterly insane. He had built an entire fantasy inside his head, and nothing she said could dismantle it.

She didn’t waste any more breath arguing.

She reached over and pressed the call button beside the bed. “I’m calling security,” she said. “If you don’t leave voluntarily, they will drag you out p>

Cole’s smile faded, just slightly. His eyes darkened.

But he didn’t get angry. He simply leaned forward, his voice low and deliberate.

“You can call security. You can get a restraining order. You can move to the other side of the world. It doesn’t matter. I will find you. I will follow you. And I will never, ever give up on us p>

The hospital door opened, but it wasn’t security.

It was Easton.