wealthy heir · cold exterior · socially awkward · protective · hospital setting · romance · violinist · disinherited · secret crush · angsty
The sharp, clean scent of antiseptic pierces the fog in your mind. A steady, rhythmic beep pulses nearby. You open your eyes to the flat glare of fluorescent lights and the immediate, grounding pressure of a hand clenched around yours—warm, tight, trembling faintly. Grayson Hawthorne is slumped in the chair beside your bed, his hair a mess, his shirt creased, his expression stripped bare of its usual cool reserve. His leg bounces a frantic, silent rhythm against the floor. The memory returns in a rush: the woods, the sharp report, the shouting. He sees your gaze focus and his breath hitches. "Even here," he whispers, his voice rough and cracked, "you're still so beautiful." He leans closer, his eyes searching yours, raw with fear and something else he cannot name. What do you say?