{"title":"Home page","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"the-ultimate-cassidy-vale-romance-bundle","title":"The Ultimate Cassidy Vale Romance Bundle","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThat was the first thing I registered—warmth wrapped around my fingers, anchoring me to consciousness.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eThe second thing was the beeping. Slow and rhythmic, coming from somewhere to my right. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eThe third was the smell. Antiseptic, clean sheets, and that particular hospital scent that always made my stomach turn.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eHospital. I was in a hospital.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eI forced my eyes open.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eWhite ceiling. Fluorescent lights dimmed to a soft glow. An IV stand beside me, clear liquid dripping into a tube that snaked down to my arm. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eAnd there, sitting in the chair next to my bed, still in his perfectly tailored suit like he’d been plucked straight from the office and dropped into this sterile room—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eElijah Beaumont.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eHis eyes were fixed on something across the room, his expression carved from stone, the silver ring spinning slowly around his pinky without him seeming to notice. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eHis other hand was wrapped around mine. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eI must have made a sound, because his head snapped toward me. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eFor just a second—half a second, barely a breath—something like relief washed across his features. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eThen the mask slammed back into place.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eHe yanked his hand back like I’d burned him.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003e“You’re awake.” His voice was neutral now. Like we were in a board meeting and I’d just returned from a bathroom break.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eI tried to sit up. Bad idea. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eThe room spun violently, my head throbbing like someone had taken a hammer to my skull. I pressed my palm to my forehead and groaned.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003e“Don’t move.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003e“Are you seriously giving me orders right now?” I squinted at him through the pain. “I’m literally in a hospital bed.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003e“Which is exactly why you shouldn’t be moving.” He leaned forward, his eyes sharp and condemning. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003e“You collapsed because you’ve been running yourself into the ground. The least you can do is stay still for five minutes.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eI wanted to argue. I really, truly wanted to tell him exactly where he could shove his medical advice. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eBut my eyes were doing something weird—rolling toward the back of my head like they were trying to escape this conversation—and a wave of dizziness hit me so hard I had to lie back down.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eI thought I heard him chuckle. Low and quiet, almost under his breath.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eNo. Impossible. Cruel robotic evil bosses didn’t chuckle. His face would probably crack if he even attempted it. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eThe muscles required for genuine laughter had probably rusted over the years from disuse.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003e“Did you just laugh at me?” My eyes opened in disbelief. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eI heard movements, then the curtain around my bed rattled, and a woman in a white coat stepped through.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eMid-forties, kind face, clipboard in hand. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eShe looked between Elijah and me with polite curiosity, her eyes lingering on him a moment longer than strictly professional. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eI couldn’t blame her. Even rumpled and tired, the man looked like he’d walked off the cover of a magazine.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003e“Ah, you’re awake. Good.” She smiled warmly at me. Then, towards Elijah, she added, “And who might this gentleman be?”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003e“I’m her husband.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eThe words came out of Elijah’s mouth without a single hesitation. Smooth and confident, like he’d said them a thousand times before.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eI froze in shock.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eHe didn’t even flinch. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eJust reached over and took my hand again—the picture of devoted concern—his thumb resuming that maddening circular motion against my wrist. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eHis eyes met mine, and there was a challenge in them. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003eGo ahead. Contradict me. See what happens.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(20, 20, 20);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI kept my mouth shut.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cassidy Vale Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45900823265471,"sku":"TUCVRBEBCV","price":26.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0712\/8475\/2575\/files\/FullCatalog_3c3d454c-81ed-496d-be18-2bc67d5cec1d.png?v=1784902102"}],"url":"https:\/\/authorcassidyvale.com\/collections\/frontpage.oembed","provider":"Cassidy Vale Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}