Contract Marriage: I Will Never Love You-Chapter 94: Miss Me?

Sarah

"But I am bored!" I say and Matthew raises his brows.

I hate that I sound so whiney, but I have been lying in this hospital bed for two days now, and I am sick of it.

"I want to go home and look at what Rebecca did to the nursery," I add.

Matthew chuckles softly, moving closer to the bed. "She has done a great job."

"Yes, and I want to see it," I huff, folding my arms.

He leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead. "You’re still under observation, Sarah. The doctor said another day, maybe two."

I groan dramatically. "You said that yesterday."

"And the day before," he adds with a smirk.

I narrow my eyes at him. "You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?"

"Not at all," he says and shakes his head. "I want you to come home too."

My heart skips at the way he says it. "Do you really mean it?"

"Yes," he says without hesitation.

"Does that mean you miss me?" I say as I smile at him. He never openly admitted that before.

Matthew tilts his head, giving me that amused look that always makes my stomach flip. "No, I don’t. But Marishka does."

I bite back a grin. "Liar."

Matthew raises both hands in mock surrender, his grin growing wider. "Alright, fine. Maybe I miss you a little. One gets used to having someone by their side all the time, pestering them about stupid things."

"I don’t pester you! By the way, is everything okay at the office?" I ask, changing the subject. As the owner, I am supposed to be running the company, but here I am, bedridden instead. God, what must everyone at the company think of me?

Matthew leans against the side of the bed, his expression softening. "The office is fine. Don’t worry about it."

"But I am the CEO," I protest. "I should be there."

"And you have a COO to handle things when you can’t. Ivo is doing just fine. If anything goes wrong, he will let you know," Matthew says.

I sigh, fidgeting with the edge of the blanket. The truth is, I’m not just bored—I’m anxious. Being away from work makes me feel like I’m losing control, especially now when everything in my life is changing so rapidly.

I reach for Matthew’s hand, surprised by my own boldness. His fingers are warm against mine, and he doesn’t pull away.

"Thank you," I say softly. "For taking care of me."

He shrugs. "You should get back to sleep."

"No, I am tired of sleeping," I protest.

"Then I have something else for you," Matthew says, reaching for his briefcase, "I brought you something to keep you occupied."

He pulls out my laptop and places it on the adjustable table. "I’ve loaded all the reports from the last quarter. Thought you might want to review them."

"Work?" I ask, brightening immediately. "You’re actually giving me work to do?"

"Limited work," he corrects, holding up a finger. "Two hours max per day. Doctor’s orders."

"Matthew! You are an angel!" I chirp.

"And you sound like a damn workaholic," he replies dryly. "And," he adds, pulling something else from his briefcase, "Rebecca sent these."

He hands me a small stack of nursery paint samples and fabric swatches.

"She said you need to decide on the final accent colors by tomorrow if you want everything ready in time."

I take the samples, suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of emotion. This is really happening. In a few months, there will be a baby—my baby—in that nursery.

"Hey," Matthew says softly, noticing my expression. "You okay?"

I nod, blinking back tears. "Is she coming to visit?"

"Yes, later." Matthew hesitates before adding: "Josh too."

I look at him curiously. "And you are okay with that? Josh coming here to visit me, I think."

"And why wouldn’t I be?" he barks.

"Because you are jealous of him, why else?" I remind him.

Matthew sighs. "I don’t like the guy, but I won’t stop him from seeing you. He is worried about you just like the rest of us," he says.

I smile. "Thank you."

He clears his throat. "Yeah, well...I guess I will go check what time they are bringing you lunch."

I watch Matthew as he walks toward the door, pretending like he’s not flustered. But I know him. His stiff shoulders and the way he rubs the back of his neck give him away.

"Matthew," I call out, and he pauses, hand on the doorframe. "Did you hear anything else from...Rodrigo?" I shiver as I say his name. Ever since I got those flowers, I can’t help but think Rodrigo has been watching me. Maybe waiting to find me alone here. Maybe he wants to...

He wants to what though? It’s not like I remember him hurting me so why am I so damn scared?

Matthew turns slowly, his face hardening the second the name leaves my mouth. That protective look sharpens in his eyes, the one that always makes me feel safe even when everything else is spinning.

"No," he says firmly. "Nothing new. I made sure the hospital has added extra security. No one gets in without going through two checkpoints. You’re safe here, Sarah."

I nod, though the knot in my stomach doesn’t loosen.

"But if he hasn’t done anything," I whisper, "then why does it feel like he’s everywhere?" I glance toward the small bouquet on the windowsill.

Matthew follows my gaze, his jaw tight. "Because trauma doesn’t always need a fresh wound to hurt. I will find out what he did, don’t worry and we will deal with this."

I suck in a breath. That word trauma, it wraps around me like a shadow. And the worst part is, I can’t even remember what he did to me. Only the fear lingers. A smell. A feeling. A strange ache in my chest when I hear his name. It’s driving me crazy.

"I will be right back," Matthew says and leaves.

I sigh and lean back on my pillow.

"Knock knock!"

I look up and see Josh’s smiling face. I smile back. "Josh! Matthew said you were coming."

"Did he? Well, I just passed him in the hallway just now. He gave me the death glare," he says as he pulls up a chair next to me.

Josh sits down beside the bed and flashes me that familiar, boyish grin that makes me feel warm and safe in a different way.

"You’re looking better," he says, studying my face carefully. "Still bored out of your mind?"

"Completely," I admit with a sigh. "I feel like I’ve been in here forever. They won’t even let me take a walk."

Josh chuckles. "I brought contraband," he whispers, pulling a chocolate bar from his jacket pocket.

I laugh, the tension easing from my shoulders. "You’re going to get me kicked out of here." freēwēbηovel.c૦m

"Then my plan is working," he jokes.

I take the chocolate gratefully and break off a piece. "Thank you. For coming."

He grows serious for a moment, watching me. "Of course I came. I was worried. I still am."

I glance down at the swatches in my lap, suddenly shy. "It’s just... everything feels like it’s changing. The nursery, the baby, the company. Even Matthew, he’s different."

"Different good?" Josh asks carefully.

I nod. "Yeah. Good. He’s been there for me, more than I ever expected."

Josh gives a quiet smile, but there’s a flicker of something behind it. Regret, maybe. Or understanding. "He loves you."

I look up at him, surprised. "You really think so?"

Josh leans back in the chair, his hands resting on his knees. "I don’t know the guy, but I can see the way he looks at you. He’d do anything for you, Sarah."

A silence stretches between us, soft and full of things we don’t say.

The thought gives me comfort.

The door suddenly flies open with a bang, startling both of us.

"Sarah! Oh my God, I’ve been worried sick!" Hailey rushes to my bedside, dropping her handbag on the floor. "Why didn’t anyone call me sooner?"

"Hailey," I say. "I’m fine, really. It was just—"

"Just a complete disaster, according to Matthew," she interrupts, leaning down to hug me carefully. "Fainting like that? Pregnancy is no joke."

She straightens up, finally noticing Josh sitting beside me. Her rapid-fire energy seems to pause for a moment.

"Oh," she says, her voice dropping half an octave. "I didn’t realize you had... company."

Josh stands, extending his hand. "Josh Daniels. I’m an old friend of Sarah’s."

"Hailey Jameson," she replies, taking his hand. "Matthew’s sister."

"Ah," Josh says with a slow smile.

I glance between them, suddenly feeling like I’ve disappeared from the room. Josh’s posture has changed, shoulders back, chin slightly lifted. And Hailey keeps touching her hair.

"So how do you know our Sarah?" Hailey asks, perching on the edge of my bed without taking her eyes off Josh.

"College," Josh replies. "We go way back."

"Hmm," Hailey hums, her gaze traveling over him.

I clear my throat. "Matthew went out to check on lunch."

Neither of them seems to hear me.

"And what exactly do you do, Josh?" Hailey asks.

"Architectural design," he answers. "What do you do?"

"Photography," she says, leaning forward slightly.

I shift uncomfortably in my bed, feeling like I’m watching the most awkward mating ritual in human history. The tension between them is so thick I could cut it with a plastic knife.

"Ahem," I clear my throat.

They both look at me at the same time.

"Oh, Sarah. Tell me what happened," she says, prying her eyes off of Josh.

"I will go find Matthew," Josh says quickly and rushes out of the room.