Chapter 6
Anna's POV
"Well, not exactly..."
"Then what gives you the right to claim Anna as yours?"
Patricia maintained her composed smile, but I caught a brief flash of something sharp in her eyes.
A weight lifted from my chest. Edward's mother wasn't just good at handling difficult situations. She knew exactly how to put someone in their place. Perhaps this unexpected marriage really could help me escape the mess I'd been trapped in.
"Everyone in Manhattan knows we're together..." Julian sounded as though he were trying to defend himself. But neither of us believed he would dare challenge Patricia directly.
"Is that so? I must have missed the announcement." Patricia's lips curved into a faint smile. "I'd suggest you check the city's marriage records before making any more claims."
The color drained from Julian's face. He stepped aside and made a phone call. Within seconds, his grip on the phone had visibly tightened.
"Any other questions, Mr. Vance?" Patricia asked.
Julian stared at me. The tenderness he'd been pretending to show was finally gone, replaced by a cold, calculating look.
"Anna, are you really going to climb the social ladder and leave me behind?"
"How could you say I'm leaving you behind?" I sneered. "Isabelle is carrying your child, after all."
Julian's expression changed instantly. His eyes widened, and his face went rigid.
Judging by his reaction, he was trying to figure out how I'd found out.
"Anna." Patricia turned toward me. "Let's go."
"All right."
The Sterling bodyguards moved ahead of us, and I walked out of the hospital without anyone trying to stop me.
The afternoon sunlight hit my face. I tilted my head toward the bright blue sky and let out a long breath.
Julian, Isabelle, you'll both pay for what you've done.
Just like that, I found myself with an unconscious husband.
I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at Edward's profile. The whole situation still felt surreal.
Patricia sat down beside me, her voice gentle.
"Anna, from now on, this room belongs to you and Edward."
"I'm supposed to share a bed with him?"
I snapped out of my thoughts and instinctively leaned away, every nerve in my body resisting the idea.
"You're legally married. Sharing a bed is perfectly natural."
That was technically true. Still, I couldn't help frowning.
"You'd rather not?" She tilted her head and studied my face.
Of course I wouldn't!
But then I thought about the Sterling name and everything I still needed its protection for. I managed to force a dry smile.
"Of course not."
"Then I'll leave Edward in your care."
My throat tightened. I managed to get out two words.
"Of course."
My smile stiffened. My mind was already racing through the tasks ahead: bathing him, changing his clothes, and everything else that came with looking after an unconscious person.
I hadn't even considered what else Patricia might mean by leaving him in my care.
"That hospital gown can't be comfortable. Give him a proper bath and change him into his pajamas."
I froze for two full seconds before answering.
"...All right."
Patricia rose with a faint smile and headed for the door. I watched her leave, vaguely sensing there was something behind her expression that I couldn't quite figure out.
The room fell silent.
Just the two of us.
I looked at Edward lying motionless on the bed and sighed.
"You can talk to me inside my head. So why don't you just wake up?"
You think I haven't been trying?
His voice came through, dry and sharp, with barely concealed frustration.
"Then hurry up and do it."
I frowned, my thoughts in turmoil.
In my previous life, Julian had pretended to be devoted to me while giving Isabelle everything. We'd spent three years married in name only.
Across both lifetimes, I'd never truly been intimate with a man. And now I was expected to bathe one and change his clothes.
If Edward would just open his eyes, I could be spared the whole ordeal.
After a brief silence, his voice returned, edged with mockery.
Scrubbing.
He hadn't moved an inch, yet his commanding tone seemed to fill the room.
I let his words sink in before pushing back. He could give me all the orders he wanted inside my head. No one else could hear him, and if I refused to cooperate, there was nothing he could do about it.
I leaned back in my chair, crossed my legs, and gave him a defiant look.
"No."
Anna Hartwell. You're going to ignore a direct order?
His voice turned several degrees colder.
I swung my foot casually and played dumb.
"Can't hear a thing. Not a single word."
When my mother finds out you've been ignoring her instructions, she'll have you thrown out of this house before the day is over.
His voice suddenly fell silent.
My smile faded.
I still had no plan for dealing with the Hartwells or Julian. I couldn't afford to lose the Sterling family's protection. Not now.
Three soft knocks sounded at the door.
The housekeeper's voice came from the hallway.
"Mrs. Sterling, Mrs. Sterling would like you to join her in the living room when you're finished."
I stiffened, then quickly pulled myself together.
"Yes. I'll be right down."
There was no getting out of it. I set my jaw and got to work.
I filled the basin with warm water and carried it back to the bed. My fingers hesitated over the first button of Edward's pajama top.
He showed no reaction. His expression remained unchanged as I reached for his clothes.
After a moment, I stopped overthinking and began unbuttoning his shirt, folding the fabric back as I went.
His chest came into view. It was broad and well-defined, his muscles still firm despite spending all this time lying in bed.
Nothing about his physique suggested how long he'd been bedridden.
I'd never been this close to a man's body before. I found myself staring for several seconds before finally snapping out of it and reaching for the washcloth.
The warm cloth moved slowly across his skin. Even through the fabric, I could feel the contours of his muscles beneath it.
My face grew hotter by the second.
By the time I reached his chest, my hands were trembling so badly that I nearly dropped the cloth.
Edward remained completely still throughout the process.
That was the only reason I managed to get through it.
At least his upper body was done.
