Chapter 121 He’s Brazen
Finished
Water cascaded over Zev’s back, tracing the ridges of old wounds that had long since closed yet refused to fade. Kelly held the showerhead steady, her grip firm, though something in her eyes wavered. She said nothing, only watching as the water carried away the day’s dust but could do nothing for the scars beneath.
Zev studied her face. “Will my hand ever be the same?” His voice was quiet, almost hesitant.
Kelly met his gaze. “Can you play the piano?”
He frowned. “No.”
“Then you’ve got nothing to worry about. It’s just a broken bone. It’ll heal. Your nerves are fine.” She spoke as if stating a simple fact, as if willing it to be true. With measured movements, she squeezed toothpaste onto his brush and handed it to him.
Zev, uncharacteristically compliant, allowed her to brush his teeth without protest. He sat still, far removed from the restless patient he had been in the hospital.
The only thing betraying him now was his hand. The rest of him sat still, almost unnervingly so.
“So why does it feel numb when I touch you?” He took advantage of the moment, running his fingers over her arm, testing his own sense of touch.
Kelly sighed. “That’s what happens when you crush your hand. The same thing would happen if you got it stuck in a door.”
Zev exhaled sharply, then slung an arm around her and pulled her closer. “Honey, I think I’m dying.”
That was too slow for a reflex movement.
Kelly shot him a look. “Where?”
“Everywhere,” he muttered into her shoulder. “My hand, my leg, my pride. My soul hurts.”
Kelly hesitated. She should push him away.
But something about the way he held on, the way his weight pressed against her, made it impossible to move. Even a stray dog looking for warmth wouldn’t be turned away.
She nudged him. “Rinse your mouth.” Then, without warning, she turned the showerhead on him, dousing
his face.
Water dripped from his hair, ran down the sharp lines of his nose, and clung to his lashes.
Even soaked, he looked infuriatingly good,
“Do you think I’m handsome?” Zev asked, eyes half–lidded.
Kelly didn’t bother lying.
“Yeah.”
Zev’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. “Yours, then.”
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Chapter 121 He’s Brazen
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Finished
Kelly laughed, shaking her head. She ruffled his hair before stepping back. “Alright, let go. I need to wash your hair.”
Zev released her without argument. Then, with complete case, he stripped. Everything.
Kelly blinked. “You do know you can keep your underwear on, right?”
Zev leaned back against the tub, utterly unbothered. “You’re my wife. It’s not like you haven’t seen it before.”
Kelly ground her teeth, her cheeks flushed with heat.
This man was beyond redemption.
She’d never met anyone with such thick skin.
After two long hours, Kelly finally managed to get Zev clean. She practically threw him onto the bed, drenched and utterly exhausted.
She shot him a sharp look. “Stay still. Don’t move. I’m going to shower.”
Slamming the bathroom door behind her, she stripped off her clothes, desperate to wash away the remnants of the night.
Then–thud. Her heart skipped a beat. She grabbed a towel and rushed out. “Zev?”
She found him crouched on the floor, rifling through the trash. He held up the box of condoms she had just discarded, looking completely unfazed. With an innocent grin, he said, “I just thought… it seemed like a waste.”
“Zev!” Kelly’s voice broke. “You’re sleeping on the floor!
She didn’t wait for his response, turning sharply and retreating back to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Inside, she leaned against the sink, staring at her reflection, her mind wandering.
When had she gotten used to this?
She could still see Solmaris so clearly in her mind. The night Zev had dragged her away from Lucas, claiming her as his. Things had almost gone horribly wrong. In a panic, she slapped him, curling up in a corner, terrified.
He had just leaned back against the wall, lighting a cigarette, and smirked at her. “You can scream all you want, but there are people outside. It’ll be embarrassing for me if you keep it up.”
He had always been a pain, always teasing her, never letting up.
Yet somehow, he was the one who always kept her safe
“Honey, I don’t want to sleep on the floor,” Zev called from the other room, snapping her back to the
present.
She found him sitting on the floor, his gaze so pitiful it was almost funny.
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Chapter 121 He’s Brazen
But he didn’t dare climb into bed, not without permission.
Kelly crossed her arms. “I’m not your wife. Think hard about that.”
Zev blinked, furrowing his brows. “Of course you are. We’ve been married for years.”
Her breath hitched. Married for years? Was he counting the five years in Solmaris?
Finished
“Honey, the floor’s killing my leg,” Zev muttered, resting his head on the edge of the mattress, looking up at her with pleading eyes.
Kelly clenched her jaw. “Try again. You don’t remember anything?”
Zev didn’t respond. Instead, he climbed into bed, pulling her into his arms as though it was the most natural thing in the world. “I remember one thing,” he said without hesitation. “You can’t sleep unless I’m holding you. Otherwise, you get nightmares.”
Kelly felt a knot in her throat. His audacity always left her speechless.
Back in Solmaris, Zev had claimed her as his to keep Lucas’s men away. He kept her close, always near, sharing a bed every night.
She had never trusted him, always keeping her distance, wrapping herself in blankets like a shield. Yet every morning, without fail, she’d find herself in his arms because, without fail, he’d sneakily pull her in while she slept.
Her phone buzzed.
Eric. Again.
The man had been calling non–stop, convinced her divorce was just a phase.
And she’d made it clear it was very much not a phase.
What an idiot.
She silenced the call, but before she could block his number, a new WhatsApp message popped up.
It was a photo. Her and Zev leaving the hospital, clearly taken by someone else.
The message that followed was blunt. “Kelly, what’s really going on between you two?”
Kelly exhaled, her fingers moving quickly as she typed back. “We’re dating.”
Without hesitation, she deleted his contact.
No need to keep dragging up the past.
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