Winning the Heir Who Bullied Me Chapter 89

There’s a hand in mine, and when I blink my eyes open, it tightens.

“April.” A heavy exhale. “Are you awake, baby?”

I turn my head to the side, and Nathan Ashford’s gorgeous face fills my vision.

“Wha—”

Everything comes rushing back in a split second.

I’m lying on a hospital bed in the Ashford Estate clinic.

I’m lying there because I passed out from exhaustion.

I was exhausted because I didn’t eat, drink, or sleep for two days.

I didn’t eat, drink, or sleep for two days because—

I sit up like an uncoiled spring. “Summer!”

“April—”

I swing my legs over the side of the bed and stand, shivering slightly when my bare feet land on the cold tiles.

“June,” I gasp. “Is she—”

“Hey, hey.” Nathan steps into my path, stopping me from moving. He cups my face and tilts my head up to look at him.

“June is fine,” he assures me in a firm voice. “She drank some soup, watched a bit of TV and now she’s sleeping.”

I try to move out of his grip. “I have to see her.”

He doesn’t budge. “She’s sleeping,” he reiterates. “She needs the rest.”

His hands move from my face to my shoulders, and he gently pushes me onto the bed. “And so do you.”

I exhale. “I’m fine.”

“No, April, you’re not.”

“I’m—”

“You’re not!”

My eyes widen slightly, shocked at his outburst.

Nathan runs his hand through his hair, taking a small step away from me. “I know you were scared, April. Seeing June like that was *awful* for me so I can’t even imagine how it was for you, but—”

He falls to his knees before me, taking my hands in his.

I look down at him, slightly stunned.

“Your eyes glazed over like you had disappeared inside your head. You wouldn’t move unless someone moved you. You wouldn’t talk or look at me or—”

His head drops into my lap, and a shudder runs through him. I gently run my hand through his hair, feeling tears brim in my eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper shakily. “I—I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Nathan looks up at me. That’s when I notice the redness in his eyes and the bags underneath them.

“I’m sorry, Nathan.” I cup his cheek. “I’m so sorry.”

He wraps his arms around my waist, pressing his face against my stomach. The force of his exhale reverberates through my whole body. “It’s okay,” he whispers. “It’s all okay.”

We stay in that position for a while, my hand gently running through Nathan’s hair while he holds on to me tightly, like he’s scared of letting me go.

The longer I sit there, his arms around me, the more my mind swirls, round and round, picking apart every detail of the incident, weighing all the variables—till it reaches the conclusion that squeezes at my heart.

“Nathan,” I grind out.

He slowly raises his head, and when our eyes meet, his jaw clenches.

“No.” His voice is hard and assertive.

“I haven’t said anything.” My voice is wobbly.

He slowly rises to his feet, his arms unwrapping from around me. “*No.* I know that look. And I know what comes next.”

I sigh. “Nathan—”

“You can’t.”

“Nathan—”

He shakes his head and starts to pace. “Not after what we’ve been through. Not after what we had to do to get you to stay, you can’t—”

“Nathan!”

He freezes and turns to face me. I hate the look on his face—defensive, scared.

I pull my legs off the edge of the bed and hug my knees.

“We were in the supply closet,” I whisper. “We were fooling around when June—” The words stick in my throat.

“That wasn’t your fault,” Nathan says in a strained voice. “You couldn’t have known.”

“That doesn’t matter! I’ve been such an awful sister; I shouldn’t have been distracted. I should have been with her, not you!”

Nathan frowns. “She’s her own person, April. You can’t be with your sister twenty-four seven; that’s not how it works.”

I nod. “You’re right. But why is it that every time she gets hurt, instead of being with her, I’m with you?!”

Hurt flashes in his eyes, and his voice is slightly hoarse when he says, “What?”

I swallow hard. “The banquet night. I was with you out on the balcony and when I returned, I got the news of her accident. And again, I was with you when she almost *died*.”

“What are you saying?”

I shake my head. “If I have to choose between you and her—”

An incredulous sound snaps out of him. “Do you hear yourself, April? *Choose?* What, am I bad voodoo? Is your sister going to die if we get married?”

The image of June unconscious on that floor flashes through my mind, and I inhale sharply.

“Don’t say that.”

“You’re the one saying that!”

“I won’t sacrifice my sister for my own selfish d—”

“That’s not what this is!”

I plant my feet on the floor and stand, ignoring the coldness. “You don’t understand, Nathan; June is my only family in this world. I *can’t* lose her.”

“I understand—”

“No, you don’t!” I snap. “You don’t even like your own family.”

Nathan jerks back like I slapped him, and shame immediately washes over me.

“I’m sorry,” I say instantly, not having the guts to look at him. “That was so wrong to say. I’m sorry.”

“You’re right,” Nathan says after a beat. “I don’t like my family. If what happened to June happened to them, I might not care as much as I should.”

I feel his finger under my chin, tilting my head back to look up at him. His eyes are stormy, trapping me in place.

“But I like *you*,” he whispers. “I care about *you*. If June is your only family, then you’re mine.”

I close my eyes as a tear rolls down my cheek.

“You can blame me if you want, April. I don’t care. But you were happy in that closet. We were being silly, we were fooling around and you liked it; you were living for yourself.” He exhales. “I’m so sorry June got hurt. But I’m not going to apologize for wanting you or wanting to be with you.”

“Nathan—”

“You *can’t leave*,” he says earnestly, and it’s different from all the times he’s asked me to stay. He sounds like if I leave, I’ll be tearing him apart in the process.

“It’s not a coincidence that she keeps getting hurt,” I whisper. “It’s *not*, and I can’t pretend like it is. I can’t keep putting her in harm’s way.”

“I’ll fix it,” Nathan says.

“How?” I ask, reaching for him. I grip his shirt like it’s a lifeline. I can feel his heart thundering against my knuckles. “Tell me how to keep June from getting hurt. Tell me how to be with you not at my sister’s expense.”

A muscle ticks in his jaw as his eyes harden. Then, with surprising speed, he cups my jaw and kisses me.

It’s not a soft or sweet kiss. It’s hard, frustrated, desperate.

Nathan pulls away before I can register what’s happening.

“I’ll fix it,” he repeats, and there’s a fiery determination in his eyes that sends my heart racing.

Then he turns on his heels and leaves the room without another word.