Ruin (Rhodes #1) - Rina Kent Page 0,79

from the number of meals Kane brought me.

I begged him to tell me about Aaron’s condition, but like a damn robot, he nodded and left without a word every time. Until yesterday. He slipped a tiny piece of paper under the spoon. ‘He’s out of danger. Still hasn’t regained consciousness.’ I would’ve hugged Kane if I weren’t too afraid he would knock me on my butt.

Aaron lives. My prayers were answered.

Then... what? What do I do once he returns? It doesn’t really matter. All I want is to see him outside of that blood pool. Breathing. Alive.

The past few days, all I could sketch were fragments of rubbish. My muse abandoned me ever since Aaron was shot.

I don’t know what to feel about that.

Indistinct chatter in the hall pulls me from my thoughts. I hide the journal under the pillow and get out of my room. Kane’s bulky silhouette stands in front of Aaron’s bedroom. When his gaze meets mine, he nods, a little smile plays on his lips as he motions for me to go inside.

He’s back?

My steps are inaudible to my own ears as I brush past Kane. Tristan and Dylan stand by the entrance. Their intense stares fall on me, but they’re not the reason I freeze in place.

It’s Aaron, sitting on the edge of his bed in one of his black suits. Only this time, it doesn’t outline his powerful physique. His shoulders hunch forward, the jacket barely clings to them. He definitely lost weight. His face is a pale shade of white as if whatever medication they gave him bleached his skin. His full lips have lost their beauty, covered with dry cracks. But his eyes, God, his eyes seem to have sunk into their sockets, leaving place for dark holes instead.

When his gaze bores into mine, there’s an unusual softness in it. If I wasn’t being delusional, I would call it relief.

I confront Tristan. “How can you bring him back when he’s half dead?” I point at Aaron’s irregular breathing. He’s been panting ever since I entered. “What kind of a brother are you?”

Tristan glances between Dylan and Aaron, amusement glinting his eyes. “See? I told you she’s feisty.”

A small smile tugs on Dylan’s lips, but he says nothing.

Screw these bastards. Aaron appears like he took a trip to hell and came back. Why did they discharge him so soon? Aren’t they worried about him?

“He’s not my brother.” A strangled hoarse voice similar to Aaron’s pulls my attention. The words escape his lips with exhausted breaths. “He’s my cousin.”

I glance at Tristan then at Aaron. They’re not brothers? It’s hard to believe with all the similarities they share. They look as if they’ve been painted by the same veteran artist.

“My father adopted him.” Tristan smiles, throwing a side glare at Aaron. “He’s legally my brother.”

Oh. Tristan must be Alexander’s son. Nevertheless... “How could you let him out in this state?” I shout.

“He insisted.” Tristan uses his gentleman voice, both hands in his trousers’ pockets, seeming unaffected by my outburst. “There isn’t much they can do for him anymore. Nothing that he can’t do himself, anyway.”

I tap my foot on the ground. “Why not? It’s not like he’s a doctor.”

“He is.” Dylan smiles and, when he sees my perplexed expression, continues. “Aaron has his general practitioner degree and cut off in the midst of his trauma surgery residency.”

I stumble back two steps as I glance between the three men, probably looking like an idiot. Aaron is a doctor? Holy. Hell.

“Get out.” Despite the tiredness and hoarseness in his voice, the harshness of Aaron’s order still comes through.

Tristan nods once before leaving. Dylan, on the other hand, pierces Aaron with a stern gaze. “This isn’t over.”

Aaron glares at Dylan as the latter strolls out and closes the door behind him.

Except for Aaron’s ragged breaths, silence hugs the room in a tight embrace. It pulsates between us in a million unsaid words.

What should I do? Leave, too? But I don’t want to. Do I go to him? What do I say?

A wince escapes Aaron as he tries to remove his jacket. He grits his teeth until his jaw ticks, but he still can’t remove the piece of clothing. My feet move to him without thoughts.

A mixture of hospital smell and Aaron’s enticing cedar hits me as soon as