CHAPTER 73: SMELL LIKE ME

The Next Morning

Patricia stirred gently, something solid and warm pressed against her back. With a sleepy groan, she shifted, trying to nudge herself free, but the object didn’t budge. Her eyes blinked open slowly, taking in the unfamiliar softness of the bed beneath her.

Then came a voice, deep, gentle, still tinged with sleep.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

Startled, Patricia’s eyes widened. That voice wasn’t hers. She twisted her neck slightly, and her gaze met a tousled head of hair and sleepy eyes. It was Roman.

Memories from the previous night came rushing back. The couch... she must have dozed off there. Had he carried her to the bed?

"Morning," she said quietly, unsure how to react. "Yes, I did."

She waited awkwardly for him to move, but he didn’t. Instead, silence stretched between them. Curious, she turned again, this time more fully and found herself wrapped in his arms, his breath soft and even against her skin. For a long moment, she simply watched him sleep. He looked different like this; unguarded, peaceful, almost boyish.

Was this what her mornings would look like now? Waking up next to him? The thought made her heart flutter, something dangerously close to affection creeping in.

"I love that you smell like me," he murmured without opening his eyes.

Her cheeks flushed as she looked down at herself, suddenly remembering she was still wearing his top from the night before. The warmth in his voice made it worse or maybe better. She wasn’t sure.

"Erm... I need to get ready for work," she mumbled, trying to shift away.

"We can leave together," he said, pulling her slightly closer. "Let’s just stay like this for a while."

"No, we can’t," she replied, her voice firmer this time. "I just returned to my department. I can’t afford to be seen with you. People already talk, and it’s not kind. I don’t want any more trouble."

Roman sighed. "That hurts," he said dramatically, as though wounded by her refusal.

Patricia parted her lips to respond, but before the words could form, his mouth was on hers, swift and silencing. In an instant, she found herself flat on her back, his body hovering above hers, the kiss deepening with intensity. That familiar, heated gaze met hers, the one that disarmed her so easily now.

"Fine," he whispered against her lips, "but let’s finish what we couldn’t yesterday."

She shook her head, breathless but resolute. "I have patients to check on," she said quickly, lying, just to escape the magnetic pull of him. "I am on full-time duty today."

It wasn’t entirely untrue. What was true was her growing unease. Things were moving too fast. Was this real? Was it love... or lust? He had once hinted at using a pregnancy to keep her. What if that wasn’t a joke? What if she gave herself entirely, only to be left carrying the consequences?

No. She couldn’t afford that risk, not for her, and certainly not for a child.

"Later then," he said, giving her space as he rolled off her.

The moment he did, she slipped out of bed and headed straight for the bathroom. Once inside, she paused, hesitated, then turned and locked the door. Just in case. Roman was unpredictable, and worse, she had a weakness for him. She always fell for his tricks.

Last night was proof. One moment she had been furious, only to end up moaning his name shamelessly as he ate her. And now, instead of confronting him for moving her belongings, she was wrapped in his arms, as though she wasn’t going to confront him last night.

She needed to stop falling for his tricks, or she would end up regretting it.

...

Patricia left for the hospital first and checked in immediately, heading straight to her first patient of the day.

"Stay away from cold drinks and food, it could trigger it again," she advised gently, watching as the patient nodded in understanding, taking her words seriously.

"Doctor... can you please not tell my family the full details of my illness?" The patient asked suddenly, his voice uncertain. Patricia’s brows furrowed at the request, discomfort flickering through her.

"But they need to know to help you," she reasoned calmly. "We can’t go ahead with treatment without full consent from your family. If anything goes wrong, we could be sued."

"Life’s already hard enough for my wife," the man sighed, his voice low with guilt. "She’s the only one taking care of the kids. I don’t want to give her one more thing to worry about."

Patricia’s heart softened. She understood the fear of being a burden, especially when the other person was already fighting their own battles. She had felt that way before too.

"Alright," she said after a pause. "I will find a way to go about it, but we can’t hide everything from her. It’s against hospital policy. Besides, you are not in a critical stage, so she won’t have to do much. Just basic support."

She offered him a reassuring smile, and he returned it with one of his own, visibly relieved.

"Thank you so much, Doctor," he said gratefully. Patricia gave him a small nod before heading out.

As she made her way to the next patient, her wristwatch beeped, indicating it was already 12 p.m and her heart skipped a beat. Fear slowly crept in as she remembered what she had to do next. Because of her *husband, she hadn’t checked into the hospital the previous day... or called in to explain. And with most of her colleagues already jealous of her, she had felt there was no point in reaching out. The chaos of the previous day had clouded her mind anyway.

But what struck her as odd was the reception that morning. No one mentioned her absence. No angry stares, no snide comments. Nothing. Usually, when a junior doctor missed work without notice, there was a consequence waiting. Yet, she had been assigned fewer patients than usual today.

With a deep breath, she made her way to Dr. Miss’s office and knocked.

"Come in," came the voice from inside.

She stepped in.

"Ah, it’s you. What’s the matter?" Dr. Miss asked casually, barely glancing up from the file on her desk.

Swallowing, Patricia started, "Um... I just wanted to apologize for not showing up yesterday. I ran into a..."

She was cut off by Dr. Miss, who raised a hand to silence her.

"No need," she said flatly. "The CEO’s assistant called in to make an excuse for you. Said you had somewhere to be with the CEO. It wasn’t your fault."

Patricia blinked, surprised. Kay called? Or... was it Roman?

"Oh, I see," she murmured, unsure of what else to say.

Dr. Miss glanced up then, her tone turning oddly sharp. "Also, your patient schedule has been reduced. You will now work as an assistant doctor to the CEO. Whenever he calls, you are expected to respond immediately."

She paused, then added with a smirk, "I must say... you really know how to seduce men. Maybe I should take some lessons from you."

"What?!" Patricia gasped, completely taken aback.