Chapter 57

SEBASTIAN

I stepped out of the hospital room and let the door shut quietly behind me. But nothing about me felt quiet.

My chest was tight. My throat, dry. And my mind—hell, my mind was a riot.

I walked down the corridor, barely noticing the passing nurses or the muffled announcements from the overhead speakers. All I could see was her. The way she said boss like it was some protective shield she had to wrap herself in. Like everything we’d shared meant nothing the moment her mother—her mother—entered the picture.

I tried to let it go the first time she said I was her boss. I gave her different excuses for saying that in my head. Yes, I’m her boss; I just hated the way she emphasized it.

I stopped near the elevator, leaned against the wall, and shut my eyes. Tried to breathe.

But all I could hear was her voice saying, “Sebastian is my boss.”

Strictly work-related. Nothing more.

Fuck.

I headed for the car, jaw