Sunlight hit Eunice's eyelids, waking her up.
She stretched, expecting to hit the cold wall of the guest room. Instead, her hand brushed against silk sheets that felt like water. The mattress was enormous, swallowing her whole.
The Master Bedroom.
Memory flooded back. Hart carrying her. The lie about anemia. The way he had tucked her in like she was made of glass.
She turned over. The other side of the bed was empty, but the pillow was indented, proving he had slept there. Beside her. All night.
The door handle turned.
Eunice sat up quickly, pulling the duvet up to her chin.
Hart Matthew walked in. He was fully dressed in a crisp navy suit, looking like he was ready to buy a country. But in his hands, he carried a wooden breakfast tray.
" awake," he stated, placing the tray over her lap. "Good. You have a schedule to keep."
Eunice looked down at the food. It wasn't a normal breakfast. It was a medical intervention on a plate.
There was a massive bowl of sautéed spinach, three hard-boiled eggs, a glass of dark red beet juice, and a small mountain of steak slices.
"Steak?" Eunice asked, her stomach doing a nervous flip. "For breakfast?"
"Iron," Hart replied, sitting on the edge of the bed. He picked up the fork and stabbed a piece of steak. "Dr. Liam said you are deficient. Red meat has the highest concentration of heme iron. Eat."
He held the fork to her lips.
Eunice stared at him. The CEO of Matthew Group was hand-feeding her.
"Hart, I can feed myself," she protested, reaching for the fork.
Hart pulled it back, his eyes narrowing. "Your hands are shaking. You are weak. Open."
It wasn't a request. It was the same tone he used to close million-dollar deals.
Eunice sighed and opened her mouth. He fed her the steak. He watched her chew and swallow with an intensity that made her cheeks burn.
"Good," Hart murmured. He stabbed a forkful of spinach next. "Now the greens."
"This is too much food," Eunice mumbled around the spinach. "I'm going to explode."
"You are not leaving this bed until that tray is empty," Hart said simply. "I cancelled my morning meetings. I have nothing but time, Eunice."
He fed her another bite. Then another.
Despite the awkwardness, a warmth spread through Eunice's chest that had nothing to do with the hot food. He wasn't doing this to control her. He was doing it because he was terrified. He genuinely thought she was wasting away because of him.
"Hart," she said softly, placing a hand on his wrist to stop the fork. "I'm okay. Really."
Hart stopped. He looked at her hand on his wrist, then up at her eyes. His dark gaze softened, the "CEO mask" slipping for a second.
"You scared me," he admitted, his voice rough. "Last night. You looked like a ghost."
"I'm not going anywhere," Eunice promised.
Hart turned his hand over, interlacing his fingers with hers. He brought her knuckles to his lips, pressing a lingering kiss there.
"I know," he whispered against her skin. "Because I won't let you."
The moment was perfect. It was quiet, intimate, and felt frighteningly like love.
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
Hart's phone, sitting on the nightstand, began to vibrate violently across the wood.
The spell broke. Hart stiffened. He let go of her hand and picked up the phone.
The name on the screen made his expression turn to ice instantly.
Madam Matthew.
Hart didn't answer immediately. He looked at Eunice, his eyes hardening.
"Stay here," he ordered, standing up and grabbing the tray, even though she wasn't finished. "Do not answer the door. Do not go near the windows."
"Hart?"
"It's her," he said grimly.
He swiped to answer the call, putting it on speaker as he walked toward the balcony, but Eunice heard the first few words clearly.
"Hart," the old woman's voice was sharp and clear, like a cracking whip. "Stop playing house with that girl. We need to discuss the engagement party. Vanessa is waiting."
Hart slammed the balcony door shut, muting the rest of the conversation.
Eunice sat alone in the massive bed, the taste of iron and spinach lingering in her mouth. The warmth was gone.
Vanessa. Engagement party.
Of course.
The anemia lie might have bought her time, and Hart might be playing nurse right now, but the real world was waiting outside the door. And Madam Matthew wasn't going to stop until Eunice was gone for good.