CHAPTER 10 – THE FIRE OF JEALOUSY

Adrien stood outside the hospital room, his hands clenched into fists as he watched through the small window.

Aurora sat by Sebastian’s bedside, laughing softly at something he said. It was as if the accident had never happened.

If anything, it had brought them even closer.

His teeth ground together at the sight. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

He had planned to push Sebastian out of her life, not make him a permanent presence in it.

Now, she was with him all the time, tending to him, caring for him. Loving him.

His fingers twitched as he saw her reach forward, adjusting Sebastian’s blanket with a tenderness that made his chest tighten.

That should have been him.

And then, the moment that shattered every last thread of his restraint.

Sebastian, attempting to reach for an apple on the bedside table, miscalculated.

His fingers barely grazed the fruit before he lost his balance.

He stumbled, tilting forward..

Aurora gasped, moving instantly to catch him.

But in that fleeting moment of chaos...

Their lips met...

It was an accident. A mere brush. A second of shocked stillness before they both pulled away, eyes wide in horror.

Sebastian was the first to react, scratching the back of his neck, laughing nervously.

“Shit... uh, sorry, I...”

“I-It’s okay,” Aurora stammered, her cheeks turning red. She avoided his gaze, her fingers fiddling with the edge of her sleeve.

Adrien’s world went dark.

His breathing became uneven, his vision tunneling as he fixated on one thing, Aurora’s lips.

The lips that had just been touched by Sebastian.

Something inside him snapped.

He should have been the only one.

His jaw tightened, his fingers digging into his palm so hard that his nails nearly broke the skin.

His chest heaved with restrained fury.

He had done this.

He had put Sebastian in this hospital.

He had made it possible for them to be together every second of the day.

And now, now she had given a piece of herself to Sebastian.

Even if it was unintentional. Even if it was meaningless. It didn’t matter.

It wasn’t his.

Adrien turned away, breathing hard. His rage was suffocating him, his body trembling with the effort to contain it.

He needed an outlet, something to break, something to hurt...

His fist slammed into the wall beside him, the force rattling through his bones.

A sharp pain shot through his knuckles, but he welcomed it.

Pain was better than the jealousy consuming him whole.

His eyes flicked back toward Aurora, her lips still slightly parted as she mumbled another apology to Sebastian.

He wanted to rip them off.

To peel them away.

To erase any trace of Sebastian from her.

Aurora was his.

And he was done pretending otherwise.

TO BE CONTINUED...