"He said he'll come and pick you up," Ian said after ending the call. He looked at Lunessa. "He wants you to wait for him at the hospital lobby."
Lunessa's heart skipped.
So he really called him.
She swallowed and nodded slowly, forcing herself to look calm even as her thoughts spiraled.
"Okay," she said quietly.
Inside, nothing felt okay at all.
Of course it wouldn't. The fact that Julian Hale had agreed to pick her up was already suspicious.
"Dr. Ian… thank you," Lunessa murmured softly. "But can I ask how you told him?"
"What do you mean?" Ian looked straight at her.
Lunessa hesitated. "I mean… what did you say to him?"
For some reason, the moment she mentioned Julian being her boyfriend, Ian's expression shifted completely. It was no longer as bright or warm as it had been earlier.
"I just told him his girlfriend... named Lunessa... asked him to pick her up," Ian answered nonchalantly.
"Just that?" Lunessa asked. "And he agreed?"
Ian looked at her for a moment longer than necessary.
"Yes," he said simply.
Something about the way he said it made her uneasy.
"Then… I'll just wait for him in the lobby," Lunessa said. She stood up, grabbed her bag, and moved toward the door.
"I was just wondering," Ian said.
She stopped.
The moment she turned her head, his gaze locked onto hers.
"What makes you willing to be Julian Hale's girlfriend," he asked calmly, "knowing he wouldn't even want to marry you?"
'What the heck is he talking about? How do I know? I am lying to you right now.' Lunessa thought, her eyes staying on him.
"Maybe because… I just love him," she said after a beat. "No matter what."
"Really?" He stepped closer.
"Then if someone is on the same level as Julian Hale…" Ian continued evenly, "similar wealth, similar status, similar power… appeared…"
He stopped right in front of her. "Would you be willing to love that person instead?"
The question hung in the air.
"What are you doing, Dr. Ian?" Lunessa asked cautiously. "You're not testing me, right?"
Ian didn't answer right away.
Instead, he studied her thoroughly as if her reaction mattered more than her words.
"A test implies there is a correct answer," he said at last. "I'm just… curious."
Her grip tightened on the strap of her bag.
"Curious about what?" she asked.
"About you," Ian replied.
He leaned forward, closing the distance until there was barely any space left between their faces.
"The first woman Julian is willing to pick up," he added quietly, "almost at midnight."
Lunessa's breath caught.
That wasn't admiration.
It wasn't jealousy either.
It was more like calculation.
"I don't see why that matters," she said, forcing her voice steady.
Ian's gaze lingered on her, sharp and assessing.
"It matters," he said softly, "because Julian doesn't make exceptions."
He straightened slowly, giving her space again on his terms.
"And yet," he continued, "he made one for you."
The words settled heavily in the air.
"I don't know what you're trying to imply," Lunessa said, her voice stiffening, "but Dr. Ian, since I'm his girlfriend—"
Ian smiled cut her off.
"I don't know whether you truly didn't know," he said calmly, "or if you're just playing dumb."
Her breath caught.
"Everyone in this city knows," Ian continued, "that Julian Hale has never had a girlfriend… except one."
She swallowed hard. "Are you trying to say I'm lying? Right now?"
"No," Ian replied gently.
The answer came too smoothly.
"I'm not saying that at all."
He stepped closer, not enough to trap her, just enough to make his presence unavoidable.
"I'm saying," he continued, voice low, almost thoughtful, "that whatever you are to him…" His gaze lingered on her face, unblinking. "You're different."
Lunessa's fingers tightened around her bag.
"And that," Ian added quietly, "is what makes you interesting."
There was no accusation in his tone.
Breathing hard, Lunessa shoved Ian's chest away. "I'm going down. Julian might arrive soon…"
She rushed to open the door and slipped out of the room before he could say anything else.
The hallway felt colder than before.
Her heart pounded as she hurried toward the elevators, not daring to look back.
Her life, her lies… everything was going too fast.
Too far.
She pressed the elevator button harder than necessary, breath uneven, thoughts tangling over each other.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She didn't even understand all the things Ian just mumbling about.
She just needed money, time and desperately needed to save her sister.
Not this.
Not Julian Hale showing up in the middle of the night.
Not Ian's gaze lingering like he was peeling her apart layer by layer.
The elevator doors slid open.
Lunessa stepped inside and leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes for half a second.
"Get it together," she whispered.
The doors closed.
When they opened again, Lunessa stepped out into the lobby.
It was brighter and louder, despite it being almost midnight, probably because it was a hospital.
She walked straight through it, head down but spine stiff, heading for the entrance.
She could feel it before she heard it.
The stares.
The counter staff had noticed her.
One of them leaned toward another, lips moving.
Another rolled their eyes openly.
"See?" someone muttered, not bothering to lower their voice. "I told you."
"Upstairs didn't last long," another snickered.
Lunessa kept walking. Her steps didn't slow.
She refused to give them a reaction. Refused to turn her head. Refused to let them see how tightly her fingers were clenched around her bag strap.
The glass doors loomed ahead.
Just a little farther.
When she finally stepped out through the glass doors, Lunessa let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. The night air hit her face, cool and sharp, and she drew in a long, steady breath.
Her gaze lifted to the driveway and noticed one black car was a bit to the back of the entrance of the hospital lobby.
"Will he really come?" she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.
As if answering her doubt, the rear door of the car opened.
A tall figure stepped out, framed by the hospital lights.
Julian Hale!
Her heart dropped straight to her stomach.
So he hadn't just said yes.
He had actually come.
For reasons she couldn't explain, her vision blurred. Her chest tightened, and before she could stop herself, she moved.
She rushed toward him. Straight into his arms.
Julian stiffened at the sudden impact, instinctively catching her as she buried her face against his chest.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Lunessa clutched his coat, fingers trembling.
"You came," she whispered, her voice breaking despite herself.
Julian looked down at her, his expression unreadable.
"Hm," he said quietly. "So… would you be willing to sleep with me now?"
Her head instantly snapped up, "What?!"