Burn Me Once Burn With Me (Ruby Grayson) novel Chapter 660

She kept her head down, moving with agonizingly slow, calculated steps toward Cassian's bedroom.

Whenever a sliver of moonlight from the massive windows swept over her, it illuminated Monica's heavily made-up, brightly painted face.

And as the light traveled down, it exposed a scandalous amount of skin, her long legs and bare arms on full display in the sheer, practically non-existent fabric.

Inside the room, Cassian stared at the clock ticking closer to midnight, his gaze distant and hollow.

After a long while, he exhaled a heavy, ragged breath. His entire posture collapsed into the pillows, a suffocating, depressive gloom wrapping around him like a physical weight.

This was the closest he had been to Ruby since the day they signed the divorce papers.

Cassian looked up at the ceiling. The room was dead silent, save for the rhythmic dripping of the IV fluid above his bed.

His heart, however, refused to settle.

He turned his head to stare blankly out the window, but his brow suddenly furrowed. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a shadow dart past his door.

"Who's out there?"

He cleared his throat and called out sharply, but the hallway remained completely silent. The shadow had vanished.

Cassian's frown deepened. A deeply unsettling feeling twisted in his gut.

The silhouette had definitely looked like a woman.

*Knock, knock—*

Suddenly, a polite rapping sounded at his door.

"Who is it?"

Cassian's gaze turned razor-sharp, his eyes locking onto the brass doorknob as it began to turn.

"Mr. Veyne, it's just me. I'm here to check your IV. The bag is empty, so I can remove the needle and let you sleep."

Hearing the familiar voice of the family physician, Cassian relaxed his guard and allowed the man to enter.

The doctor, wearing his crisp white coat and carrying his medical kit, stepped inside. He glanced at the empty IV bag, then immediately opened his kit to prep a sterile cotton swab.

He efficiently pulled the needle free and pressed the cotton firmly against the puncture mark. "Hold this tight, Mr. Veyne. Once the bleeding stops, you're good to rest."

"Mm. Thank you."

Cassian gave the doctor a brief nod. He felt a lingering chill over his skin, likely a side effect of the IV fluids running cold into his veins.

"My pleasure."

The doctor stifled a yawn, packed up his medical kit, and quietly slipped out of the room.

The door clicked shut.

Cassian leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes. The chill had finally dissipated, and his body was gradually returning to its normal temperature.

But as he lay there with his eyes shut, something started to feel incredibly wrong.

He opened his eyes, pressing a hand against his stomach. Without warning, an unbearable, burning heat had ignited deep in his core, spreading rapidly through his body.

He reached up with long fingers, forcefully rubbing his temples, but the dizziness only worsened.

He checked the cotton swab, confirmed the bleeding had stopped, tossed it into the trash, and threw the heavy blankets off, standing up from the bed.

He paced the floor, but his mind was becoming dangerously foggy. Out of nowhere, hyper-realistic, intoxicating images of Ruby began flooding his brain.

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