‘You’re no innocent bunny,’ Lemuel seethed. ‘You’re a burden whose wilful acts drag others into danger while you remain blissfully unaware!’Callie was taken aback by the sudden onslaught of accusations. ‘I don’t understand,’ she protested, her voice shaking. ‘How am I responsible for what happened?’Lemuel’s rage surged, and he fought the urge to lash out physically at the woman before him.He took several deep breaths, trying to control his emotions.‘Both Elias and Private First Class Travis Campeau were injured because of you!’ he shouted, his voice sharp and filled with bitterness. ‘Every soldier who ventured out into that minefield this morning and risked their lives was because of you!’Callie’s mind raced, trying to make sense of Lemuel’s words. ‘I didn’t ask anyone to come looking for me,’ she defended herself. ‘I didn’t even know they were coming!’Lemuel’s frustration boiled over. ‘Drop the act!’ he snapped. ‘If you hadn’t rushed out into the minefield without protective ge

The two women exchanged glances, and Angelia couldn’t help but smirk.‘Good morning, Callie,’ Angelia said mockingly. ‘What are you doing here?’Callie, dressed in her white lab coat, held her head high. ‘I work here,’ she replied evenly.Angelia raised an eyebrow. ‘You look like hell,’ she taunted.Callie’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t let Angelia’s words get to her. ‘Thanks for your concern,’ she said coldly, ‘but the health centre is short-staffed, and I want to help.’With that, Callie walked past Angelia, who couldn’t resist adding another jab. ‘Do you want to see Major General Westwood?’ she asked, a wicked gleam in her eyes.Callie stopped in her tracks, her heart pounding.Her nails dug into her thigh as she fought to maintain her composure. ‘I don’t need to see him,’ she managed to say, her voice strained. ‘You are Elias’s attending physician. It’s your responsibility to watch over him, just make sure he’s... he’s doing well.’Angelia smirked triumphantly. ‘Captain Santana g

Lemuel scrunched up his nose as if smelling something foul.‘You mean Callista Hawthorne? She’s not here,’ he replied dismissively.Elias’s eyes narrowed, picking up on the disdain in Lemuel’s voice. ‘I know she’s not here, I’m asking you why.’‘She’s taking care of the other patients,’ Lemuel replied, trying to brush off the question.Elias could sense that something was off.Callie’s absence didn’t sit right with him.He knew her well enough to understand that she wouldn’t abandon him while he was injured.‘Why would Callie tend to other patients but not me?’ Elias thought to himself, his mind working overtime.It was hard to believe she would prioritise others over him.The more he pondered, the more suspicious he became.He couldn’t shake the feeling that something must have happened while he was unconscious.Maybe Lemuel or Angelia had something to do with it.‘I need to speak with Callie,’ Elias declared.Angelia’s smile wavered slightly, and she exchanged a quick glance with Le

Elias rose from his seat, lifting Callie into his arms effortlessly.Callie yelped in surprise, her cheeks flushing even more. ‘What are you doing?’ she protested, but Elias wasn’t swayed.‘You’re right—a patient needs to rest, and you’re a patient now,’ Elias stated firmly. ‘You need to rest.’Callie continued to protest, insisting that she was fine, but Elias refused to let her down.Carrying her one-armed, he reached for the door handle with his free hand.As he pulled open the door of the break room, two figures stumbled into the room.Lemuel was quick to recover and beat a hasty retreat, claiming he had some urgent tasks to attend to.Wendy, on the other hand, picked herself up from the floor, her cheeks tinged with embarrassment for being caught eavesdropping.Elias didn’t let the awkward moment deter him.He turned to Wendy, his tone authoritative. ‘Callie’s sick. Get her a ward.’Then, as an afterthought, he added, ‘If there’s no empty ward, add a bed in my room.’Wendy nodded

Angelia couldn’t help but feel a sense of bitterness creeping into her heart.She was tired of hearing about Callie, tired of feeling overshadowed by her presence.As she listened to Abby’s rant, an idea began to form in her mind.She had an opportunity to take down Callie a notch and prove to Elias that she wasn’t as perfect as he believed.‘Abby, let me handle this,’ she said resolutely, her mind already devising a plan.‘What do you mean?’ Abby asked.Angelia’s eyes glinted with determination. ‘I mean, I’ll find out if Callie is still in touch with Simon and expose her for the manipulative woman she is. If she’s trying to seduce a Lieutenant Colonel, who knows how many other men she’s tried to charm in the past. Simon needs to see her true colours.’And so did Elias.‘You’d do that for me?’‘Of course,’ Angelia said. ‘You are my cousin.’And it would be a nice payback for all the times Callie had caused trouble in her life too.‘Thank you, Angelia. I really hope this works.’Angeli