Chapter 82

The moment Juliet stepped out of the hospital building, cold wind and fine rain hit her head-on. She pulled her coat tighter around her neck. A familiar car screeched to a stop in front of her. The door flew open. Zachary didn't even bother with an umbrella. He stepped straight into the rain, moving fast. The perfectly tailored suit he usually wore was rumpled, and his tie hung crooked, leaving him uncharacteristically disheveled. At this hour, the only way he could've made it back to Navalton was by driving straight through from Elderford. "Jules." He reached her in seconds and gripped her shoulders. Rain dripped from his hair, sliding down the lenses of his glasses. He didn't ask what had happened. His gaze was fixed on the left side of her face. The swelling was subtle, but he caught it immediately. "Who did this?" Juliet turned her head away, avoiding his gaze as she replied, "It doesn't matter." "How can it not matter?" His voice rose, sharper than she had ever hear