Chapter 87 Theron is dangerous.

Soren stepped closer, resting his hands on her shoulders. "The things you haven’t seen. I won’t lie to you."

"I said leave." Elowen shoved his hands away and stepped back.

"No." His reply came almost immediately. He shook his head stubbornly. "I won’t leave even if you want me to."

His voice was firm, but beneath it lay a desperation he couldn’t hide.

"Be angry with me if you want. Blame me for whatever you think I’ve done. But I’m not going anywhere."

Elowen looked away, frustrated.

Theron watched the exchange silently. It felt so good to see Elowen getting angry at Soren. The look on Soren’s face, helplessness mixed with desperation, was priceless to watch.

But he hid his satisfaction and made a worried look.

"Elowen, don’t be upset. You should go in and rest now."

Elowen turned to him apologetically. "Mr. Knox, I am sorry. You shouldn’t have had to go through this."

She was so ashamed that she couldn’t look him in the eyes.

"Thank you for being here. But you should leave now. You have already endured enough. I don’t want to trouble you anymore."

Theron’s heart sank. This was not what he had expected to hear from her.

A moment ago, she had been telling Soren to leave. But now, she was asking him to leave instead.

Theron didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay beside her, watch over her, and make sure she rested. He wanted to be the man who took care of her every single moment.

But he knew he couldn’t force his presence. It would only make her push him away.

He had to be patient. He had to make her trust him more than she trusted her husband.

’I’ll make her leave Soren without hesitation.’

He gave her a faint smile. "Alright, I’ll leave. Take care of yourself."

He turned to leave. As he passed Soren, his smile disappeared. He leaned just close enough for Soren to hear him.

"Be careful, Soren. You might lose her again."

He walked away, leaving Soren standing there with clenched fists and a burning fury.

Once Theron’s figure disappeared down the corridor, Soren turned back to Elowen. His tightly clenched fists slowly loosened.

"Elowen..."

"Don’t..." Her tone was chilling. "I don’t want to talk to you right now."

She walked back into the room.

Soren swallowed the words he had intended to say. But he had no intention of leaving her alone. He followed her in.

"It’s okay. If you don’t want to talk, don’t talk. Rest. I’m staying right here."

Elowen shrugged, knowing he wouldn’t leave even if she asked him to. She walked over to the bed and sat down.

"Staying here won’t solve the problem," she muttered. "The problem is with you, Soren. You can’t always act violently. Do you know how embarrassing it was? You did it at his house that night. And now you’ve done it again at the hospital. It’s a public place. Anyone could have seen you. And tomorrow, it could become a huge scandal: The mighty Soren Vale caught in a public altercation."

She squinted at him. The anger was still there, but so was a hint of curiosity. "Haven’t you thought about the consequence of your action?"

"I don’t think about the consequences when it comes to your safety," he snapped back. "That man is a threat. You have no idea how dangerous he is."

"Dangerous?" Elowen tilted her head. "From what I’ve seen, he is kind, caring, and gentle. He helped me. He was worried about me. And you acted on impulse. You let jealousy consume you and cloud your judgment."

She stood and took a step toward him, her gaze never leaving his. "You said he is a threat. If he wanted to harm me, he wouldn’t have helped me. He could have simply called an ambulance when I was about to collapse. He didn’t have to bring me here himself, talk to the doctor, and stay by my side to make sure I was alright."

Each word felt like another blow to his chest. His wife was defending another man. Elowen was not only defending Theron but also praising him to his face, as though he were the one who had done everything right.

And Soren was the one being questioned.

His wife was standing before him, looking at him as though he had committed an unforgivable crime. He could still feel the warmth of her body against his when he had rushed to embrace her a few moments ago. He had been terrified of losing her and their baby.

Yet she looked more concerned about the man who had brought her to the hospital than the husband who had hurried there in fear.

A bitter ache spread through his chest.

He wanted to tell her that Theron’s kindness wasn’t what it appeared to be. He wanted to reveal that Theron’s actions were driven by his deep-seated obsession with her.

The way Theron stared at her when she wasn’t looking at him, the way he found excuses to stay close, and the way he enjoyed provoking Soren—everything was part of that obsession.

But how could he explain it without sounding like a jealous husband trying to keep another man away from his wife?

Elowen was standing close enough for him to catch the faint fragrance of her shampoo. He could see the stubbornness in her eyes, but beneath it, he also noticed her lingering exhaustion.

"Tell me how he is dangerous," she demanded.

"Elowen." Soren let out a frustrated sigh. "Don’t you trust me?"

"I want to trust you," she shot back. She poked his chest with one finger. "But your actions make it difficult. You acted out of jealousy. You resorted to violence to resolve whatever tension you have with him. That’s what bothers me."

"Yes, I am jealous," he admitted, his voice sharp. "How could I not be jealous when I know he..."

Soren stopped abruptly. He had almost said it.

His head whipped aside. He couldn’t let her know that Theron had loved her since she had saved him back then.

He was afraid that if Elowen discovered Theron’s feelings for her, she might begin questioning everything. And if Theron made her believe that his love was genuine, Soren feared he might lose her.

He clenched his jaw so hard that his teeth ached.

"What?" Elowen demanded. "He what?"

Soren swallowed the words caught in his throat. But he couldn’t stay silent either.

"Because he wants to destroy our marriage," he said. "He is deliberately creating a misunderstanding between us. He is making you doubt me and turning you against me."

He held her shoulders. "Don’t fall for his lies. I can’t fight him if you keep doubting me. He will succeed if he manages to turn you against me."