NovelOnlineChapter 94
Ella
Alexander stepped into the room and held up the bag. “I brought you sthings to keep you occupied.”
1 straightened in the hospital bed, pulling the thin blanket higher over my torso. | hadn't expected to see him
again, especially not so soon after he'd dropped off the flowers. “Things?”
He approached the bed and handedthe bag. “Just sbooks, games, stuff like that. The nurses mentioned
you might be here for a few days.”
Curious despite myself, | peered inside. There were a few paperback -mysteries, one of my favorite
genres-a book of crossword puzzles, a deck of playing cards, and folded on top of everything else, a gray
sweatshirt that | immediately recognized as Alexander's.
| pulled it out and held it up, blushing furiously. “This is yours.”
Alexander shrugged. “I checked your closet for something warm, but all your sweaters are too thin. It gets cold
in hospitals at night.”
| blinked, staring at the sweatshirt. It was one I'd seen him wear around the house on rare occasions, usually
when he was working in his office late at night. The fabric was worn in places, soft from years of washing. It
smelled faintly of him.
“Besides,” he added, “it would look good for the press if you're seen wearing my clothes. People still think our
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtmarriage is on the rocks.”
And there it was. The real reason. Not concern for my comfort, but concern for his image. His campaign. The act
we'd been putting on for weeks now.
“Right,” | muttered, shoving down the bitter disappointment that began to form in my chest. “Wouldn't want
anyone to think we're not madly in love.”
If Alexander noticed the frustration in my words, he didn’t show it. “You should put it on,” he said. “It's already
getting colder in here.”
He wasn’t wrong about that. The hospital room was chilly, and my arms were covered in goosebumps beneath
the thin hospital gown. Swallowing my pride, | pulled the sweatshirt over my head, letting the soft fabric engulf
me. It was enormous on my frame, the sleeves hanging well past my fingertips, and the hem would probably hit
mid-thigh if | stood.
But it was warm. And comfortable. And it smelled like him.
“Thank you for bringing this stuff,” | said. “You can go now, if you want. I’m sure you're busy.”
“I'm staying for a while.”
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Chapter 94
| raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“People would talk if | didn’t,” he pointed out. “A devoted husband would stay with his sick wife, especially after
she collapsed in public. It would look strange if | just dropped off a bag and left.”
More image maintenance. More pretending. The hospital was full of pack members who would notice and gossip
about-how long the Alpha stayed with his Luna. Of course that was his concern, not my actual well-being.
The bitterness I'd been trying to swallow rose up again. Did anything Alexander did cfrom a genuine place?
Or was it all calculated for maximum political benefit? Was what happened in the alley just for show, too, in case
someone saw?
“Well, then,” | said stiffly. “By all means, make yourself comfortable.”
Alexander nodded and sat in the chair Lilith had occupied earlier. Then, to my surprise, he reached into the bag
he’d brought and pulled out a small wooden chess set.
“I thought we could play,” he said, setting up the board on the rolling table beside my bed. “It helps pass the
time.”
| stared at the chessboard. In five years of marriage, Alexander and | had never once played a gtogether.
Never spent an evening doing something as simple and normal as chess.
“I don’t really know how to play,” | admitted. “I mean, | know the basics, but I'm not very good.”
Alexander shrugged. “That's fine. | can teach you”
For a moment, | considered refusing just to spite him. But the thought of sitting in silence while he watched me
seemed even more awkward than fumbling through a chess game.
“Alright,” | sighed. “But go a little easy on me.
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