Chapter 36: Flinch
The doctor almost opened her mouth in shock but quickly regained her composure. She knew better than to let her emotions slip—after all, with just a snap of Zylan’s fingers, her job and certificate could become worthless. Choosing her words carefully, she responded with a calm voice.
"Um, about that, Mr. Zylan... Crying doesn’t necessarily mean she’s unwell. Sometimes it’s just a response to feeling hurt or... overwhelmed, but it doesn’t mean she’s sick."
Zylan’s gaze narrowed slightly, his intense eyes drilling into her as if he could see through her carefully calculated words. "She’s hurt? Then treat her."
The doctor hesitated, exchanging a glance with her colleague. Both of them looked back at Naomi, silently pleading with her to offer some kind of reassurance, anything that might defuse the tension in the air. But Naomi didn’t move, her face a mask of calm that barely concealed the storm raging inside her.
Naomi forced a shaky smile, trying to ease the tension that had gripped the room. Her voice came out steady, but the vulnerability hidden beneath it was unmistakable. "I’m fine, really. I’m not sick. You two can go, please."
The doctors exchanged another look, silently weighing the situation. Neither wanted to anger Zylan, yet neither could ignore the fact that Naomi seemed fine—physically, at least. After a long pause, Zylan gave them a curt nod. Without a word, the doctors bowed respectfully and left, the door clicking shut behind them.
As soon as they were alone, Zylan turned back to Naomi, his gaze unwavering. His presence in the room seemed to make the air thicker, more charged. He moved closer to her, his steps silent, his eyes fixed on her like an unspoken question.
"What’s going on?" he asked, his voice low, probing. The words hung in the air, heavy with something Naomi couldn’t place.
Naomi’s heart pounded in her chest. The calm composure she had tried to build felt like it was crumbling, piece by piece, with every passing second. She couldn’t let him see how vulnerable she was, how deeply the emotions she had kept buried were threatening to spill out. She needed to stay strong, needed to protect herself.