Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 29

Beep, beep—

Morgan gave the horn a quick tap.

The car rolled to a stop.

Ruby blinked awake, disoriented, and only then realized they'd arrived at the little lane leading back to the staff dorms.

"Thank you," she murmured.

With trembling arms, she eased herself upright, one hand cradling Mira, the other struggling to push the door open. What should have been a simple motion now felt like an impossible feat—her wrist weighed down as if by chains.

Ruby swayed unsteadily as she made her way into the building.

Morgan removed his mask and cap, his expressive eyes fixed on the woman's fading silhouette. He frowned, concern creasing his brow.

A car that had been trailing them pulled up behind. Morgan's assistant stepped out, having kept a discreet two-car-length distance the whole way.

Stopping by Morgan's window, the assistant bent in a respectful half-bow. "Mr. Blackwood."

Morgan rolled down the window.

"Have someone send her some fever medicine," he rasped, his mind a mess, Ruby's pale, exhausted face haunting him. The tightness in his chest was almost suffocating.

How had his radiant Rue ended up like this?

He drew a shaky breath, pressing a hand to his racing heart.

The assistant nodded and immediately made a call, arranging for a pharmacy delivery.

Ruby, meanwhile, had no time for thoughts of the road behind her. She staggered through the door to her small dorm room, her head spinning. Even so, her first instinct was to change Mira into clean clothes.

Once she'd mixed formula and fed the baby, Ruby sat back on the edge of the bed, Mira nestled in her arms. Her vision flickered, bright and dark by turns.

"Mira, sweetheart… Mommy's so tired… I just need to rest for a minute…"

Her words came out in fragments, her consciousness slipping away like a stone sinking in mud.

A sudden wail broke through the haze—Mira's cry, sharp and urgent.

Ruby jerked awake, startled to realize she'd blacked out.

Knock, knock—

"Miss Grayson, delivery for you."

A steady knock sounded at the door. Ruby realized the noise must have startled Mira.

Rubbing her temples, she dragged herself out of bed and opened the door. A delivery guy stood outside, holding a small bag.

She jerked her hand back, heart pounding in terror.

Mira had a fever.

For a second, Ruby forgot how to breathe. Then, moving faster than she ever had, she fumbled for her phone to call a cab, grabbing her coat and rushing Mira out into the chilly evening.

Not far away, inside a luxury car, Morgan watched her frantic figure but made no move to help.

After a moment, he narrowed his eyes, started the engine, and drove away—leaving Ruby clutching her feverish child on the sidewalk, tears slipping down her cheeks in the cold wind.

Finally, a cab stopped in front of the nearest private hospital.

"Nurse! Pediatrics! Emergency!" Ruby burst through the doors, breathless with worry.

Seeing her panic, the nurse at the desk wasted no time, quickly filling out the paperwork and directing her to the right exam room.

Ruby barely managed a thank you before sprinting down the hallway with Mira in her arms.

As soon as she left, a young nurse hurried to the reception desk, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

"Did you hear? Mr. Veyne's here! Apparently, Miss Grayson hurt her ankle, and he came with her. He looked absolutely furious when they arrived."

"Oh my god, Miss Grayson is the apple of Mr. Veyne's eye. If she so much as sheds a hair, he's beside himself—let alone an injury!"