I Woke Up From a Coma and Found Out My Fiancé Was Protecting My Killer Chapter 02
The doctor arrived right then. The two of them stood off to the side, waiting.
Landon asked, tense. “Dr. Foster, she’s fully recovered, right? No long-term issues? No chance she could… slip back under?”
The doctor finished his exam and smiled. “No, she’s healed up well. The injuries, I mean. Inside and out. As long as she’s awake, she’ll be back to her old self in no time.”
Landon’s lips pressed into a thin line. It took him a long moment before he gave a low, unreadable hum.
The doctor left. Willa forced a smile and sat beside me. “This is wonderful. You and La—Landon. You can finally have your wedding. A new one.”
I lifted my gaze. I stared at her without blinking until her smile started to crack. She looked away fast, turning toward Landon.
“Landon, you treat her right. She’s my best friend. If you don’t, I will never forgive you.”
The two of them locked eyes right in front of me, deep and loaded. Landon’s spine went rigid. His answer sounded wrenched from his throat. “I will.”
A cold, mocking laugh flickered through me.
Not long after, they left one after the other. I followed. The same stairwell. Through the gap in the door, I saw Landon’s body trembling.
“Willa. Are you pushing me back to her again?”
Willa dodged his touch and cried, face streaked with tears. “I don’t have a choice, Landon. I honestly don’t know what to do. This is all I can do.”
“If Paige finds out, she’ll fall apart. Completely.”
Landon was silent for two seconds before he nearly roared. “Then what about us?”
“Are we supposed to sneak around for the rest of our lives?”
I couldn’t hear anything else they said. Every word wrapped around my throat and squeezed. I couldn’t breathe without it hurting.
They came back to the hospital room an hour later. They made sure to come back separately. But the marks on Landon’s lip and Willa’s lip—there was no way I wasn’t going to see those.
“What happened to your lip?”
The man’s body went rigid. His hand shot up to touch it. He let out a dry laugh. “Must be stress or something. It’s nothing.”
Willa didn’t say a word. She used her hair to subtly cover her own lip. A cold laugh. That was it. I didn’t say anything else.
While they handled my discharge paperwork, I pulled out my phone and opened the overseas assignment offer I’d turned down before the coma.
Back then, I said no. Didn’t even think about it. Didn’t want to be on opposite sides of the world right after the wedding. But now…
My boss was shocked when my message came through. [This position’s been held for you. If your decision’s final, report to the Paris office within three days.]
I replied with a single word: [Okay.]
It felt like a weight lifting off my chest. After a final evaluation, the doctor cleared me for discharge.
In the car, Landon cleared his throat. “Right, Paige—while you were in the coma, something happened with Willa’s place. She’s been staying at our place for now.”
My eyes, which had been staring blankly out the window, froze for a moment. I didn’t ask why she couldn’t get a hotel. I didn’t ask why a month wasn’t long enough to find a new apartment. The answer was right there.
Willa said carefully from the back seat, “Paige, if it bothers you, I’ll move out right away.”
My clenched hands relaxed. I was leaving soon anyway. I’d already seen exactly who these two were. Whatever crap they pulled—it didn’t matter anymore.
“Stay if you want.”
Willa and Landon exchanged a glance, passing some silent message between them like a secret I wasn’t supposed to catch.
I watched the rain patter against the car window, knocking sycamore leaves to the ground, and drifted into memory.
Willa and I met in high school. She’d transferred from a small town to Westbrook High. People shut her out hard. One afternoon, I found her cornered in the bathroom, begging while they shoved her around. I couldn’t stomach it. I stepped in.
She sat on the floor crying, thanking me, swearing she’d pay me back someday. After that, we became best friends.
And after that—she betrayed me and nearly killed me.
Even now, I still had no idea when she and Landon had first tangled themselves together.
The car pulled up to the house. I got out and walked to the front door. Muscle memory kicked in. I typed the passcode.
Beep. Incorrect.
My fingers froze midair. Landon rushed to explain. “The old code was too complicated. You know Willa—dumber than a brick. So we switched it to something simpler.”
I stepped aside. “Go ahead.”
He pressed his lips together. Even though he tried to block my view, I still saw. Their birthdays. Combined.
He glanced at me. “It’s just a passcode. If it bothers you, I’ll change it back right now.”
My laugh was hollow. “Doesn’t bother me. Keep it.”