The warmth at his fingertips seemed to seep through the handkerchief into her skin, and the places he touched felt as if they'd been set aflame.
"Your eye makeup's smudged. Careful, or it'll sting," the man's thin lips parted. His voice was low and even, betraying no emotion.
Kristen swallowed quietly. Under the weight of his formidable presence, she managed to force out a sentence. "I—I can do it myself."
Jason's hand paused. His lowered lashes lifted, and the sharp intensity in his dark eyes made it hard to breathe.
Kristen's heart thudded. If she'd known, she might as well have stayed at the hotel to face that scumbag Finn; Jason was truly too difficult to handle.
No wonder everyone called him the cold-faced King of Hell.
Jason tucked the handkerchief into her hand and sat back, the corners of his lips tugging slightly. "Why did you run from the wedding?"
Kristen's fingers tightened around the handkerchief of their own accord. She bit her lip and said nothing.
Jason turned his head to look at her, his cutting gaze seeming to pierce right through her.
"Mr. Jason, are you here to stick up for your good buddy?" Kristen's hand had already found the door handle. "If that's the case, you can tell the driver to stop."
His sword-straight brows knit suddenly. Catching her small movement out of the corner of his eye, he let out a soft, unreadable hum. "Since when did my car become something anyone can hop on or off at will?"
Kristen had just woken from a nightmare where, five years into marriage, she was killed by Finn and Grace. Then she'd discovered Finn had truly cheated. She had fled straight from the wedding, her head a tangled mess. At this point, she couldn't take any more shocks.
Ignoring the moving car, she pushed the door open to jump.
Jason's eyes flashed dark. Fast as a whip, he caught her wrist and pulled her bodily into his arms. His grip on her arm felt like it might crush bone. A vein throbbed at his temple as he forced the words through his throat. "Are you insane?"
Kristen tilted her head up, her reddened eyes locking with his. "Yes, I'm insane. I was insane to believe Finn truly loved me. I was insane to turn down lead roles for him. I was insane to listen to him and quit acting after marriage. I'm insane, so…"
Her voice snagged and broke. She couldn't get the words out. Tears burst forth again, beads scattering over her pale face like a white pear blossom ravaged by a storm—so fragile it wrenched the heart.
Up front, the driver silently broke into a sweat. No one had ever dared speak to Mr. Jason like this. Did she have a death wish?
Just as the driver's nerves frayed to breaking, Jason spoke, voice low and even. "I didn't say I'd send you back. What are you crying for?"
"I…" Kristen had just drawn breath to speak when her vision suddenly blurred. Even Jason's striking features turned hazy.
The next second, she went limp and collapsed into Jason's arms.
Jason's breath hitched. He lowered his head, and for a fleeting instant, tension crossed his dark gaze. "Kristen…"
Kristen's eyes stayed shut. She didn't respond.
"Notify Dr. Yan," Jason said, lips barely parting, his inscrutable eyes tightening further.
Private hospital, VIP ward.
Dr. Yan finished his examination of Kristen. "She's fine. It's long-term malnutrition, combined with exhaustion. She fainted, that's all. Rest will take care of it."
Standing at the bedside, Jason's knife-edged brows drew tight. The way he looked at the doctor was as if he were looking at a quack. His tone carried doubt. "Malnutrition?"
Dr. Yan chuckled. "Girls these days diet all year round to lose weight. Malnutrition is very common."
He paused, then teased, "So which unlucky fellow had his wife stolen by you?"
That eye-wateringly expensive wedding dress on Kristen was impossible to ignore.
(End of Chapter)