Over Protective
LILIANA’S POV
The first thing I felt when I stirred awake was the weight. Not of the blanket tucked around me, or the ache still heavy in my bones, but of something unseen pressing down on the air. Thick. Charged. Almost suffocating.
I blinked slowly, lashes brushing against my cheeks as my eyes adjusted to the dim hospital light. My body felt weak, sluggish, like I was wading through molasses, but my senses sharpened in one direction—toward him.
Ronny.
He was sitting in the chair beside me, his broad frame hunched forward, one elbow propped against his knee, his jaw tight as if he’d been clenching it for hours. His other hand still held mine, knuckles pale with the force of his grip.
His eyes weren’t on me. They were fixed on the door. Cold. Watchful. Like a soldier waiting for the enemy to return.
The monitor beeped steadily beside me, but beneath its rhythm I caught the faint sound of his breathing—too shallow, too tense.
Something was wrong.
“Ronny…” My voice was rough, weak, like I hadn’t spoken in days.
His head snapped toward me instantly. The hardness in his face softened, just barely, but the storm in his eyes didn’t fade.
“You’re awake.” His voice was low, hoarse, like gravel scraping the bottom of his throat. He squeezed my hand once, as if reassuring himself I was really here, really breathing.
I frowned, searching his expression. “What happened?”
He shook his head almost immediately, the movement too quick, too deliberate. “Nothing. You just need rest.”
Nothing? The word snagged in my mind like barbed wire. No. I knew him. I knew the look on his face, the coil of energy in his muscles, the way his eyes darted to every sound in the hallway.
Don’t lie to me.
“Ronny.” My tone sharpened despite the weakness in my body. “Don’t you dare.”
For a second, he didn’t answer. His jaw worked, teeth grinding against each other, like he was waging a war with himself.
Instead of answering, he leaned forward, brushing his thumb over my knuckles with an intensity that made my chest ache. “Are you hungry? I brought food.”
Food? I almost laughed, but it came out as a dry, humorless sound. “Food? That’s what you’re going with?”
“Liliana—”
“No.” I pushed myself up slightly, ignoring the pull of the IV in my arm, ignoring the weakness dragging me down. “Don’t change the subject. Something happened while I was asleep. I can see it in your face.”
His eyes darkened, a flash of something lethal sparking in them.
I swallowed hard. “What aren’t you telling me?”
The silence stretched too long. His hand didn’t loosen around mine, but his body was wound tight, like he was bracing for impact.
“Ronny,” I whispered, softer now. “Please. Tell me.”
He exhaled harshly, dragging a hand down his face. For a moment, I thought he might stay silent forever. But then his eyes met mine, hard and unyielding.
“Someone came in here,” he said flatly. “Dressed as a nurse. Tried to stick a needle in your IV while you were out.”
My heart stuttered, then dropped straight into my stomach.
“What?” My voice cracked.
He nodded once, his expression carved from stone. “I caught her. She ran.”
My chest constricted, panic clawing at my throat. “You—” My breathing quickened, my pulse spiking so fast the monitor began to beep louder. “She was right here? While I was asleep?”
“Yes.”
The room tilted. Cold washed through me, sweat prickling down my spine. I squeezed his hand like it was the only thing keeping me tethered.
“What if you hadn’t come back?” My voice broke, too high, too sharp. “What if—”
“Don’t.” His tone cut through my spiral like a blade. He leaned in closer, his grip unyielding, his gaze burning into mine. “Nothing happened. Nothing will happen.”
“How do you know that?” The words tore out of me, brittle and raw. Fear shook through me, rattling my bones. “How can you stand there and promise me that when someone walked right into my room and—”
“Because.” His voice dropped, dark and final, leaving no room for doubt. “Because you’re moving in with me.”
I froze. The words didn’t make sense at first, like I’d misheard them through the pounding in my ears.
“What?”
“You heard me.” He didn’t flinch, didn’t look away. “You’re not staying here. You’re not staying anywhere unprotected. You’re moving in with me. That’s the only way I can keep you safe.”
My lips parted, but nothing came out. My mind tripped over itself, trying to process, trying to catch up.
He couldn’t be serious.
“Ronny, no.” My voice was firmer now, even as fear and disbelief tangled in my chest. “That’s not happening.”
His eyes sharpened, steel and fire colliding in them. “Yes, it is.”
I shook my head, the panic inside me laced now with anger. “You don’t get to decide that for me. You can’t just—”
“I can.” His voice was low, deadly calm, but it hit harder than if he’d shouted. “And I will. Whether you like it or not.”
My breath caught.
He leaned closer, so close I could see the storm swirling in his eyes, feel the heat of his resolve radiating off him.
“You’re moving in with me, Liliana,” he said, every word sharp and immovable. “And that’s final.”
The words cracked through the air like a gavel striking down a sentence.
I stared at him, my pulse racing, fear and defiance battling in my chest.
He wasn’t bluffing.
And that terrified me more than the intruder ever could.
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