POV: Doc Kheo
"Kheo, you look like you're in a good mood today."
"Director! I didn't see you there," Kheo greeted with a warm smile as he bumped into the hospital director in the hallway.
"Nurse Pomela told me you filed for a few hours of leave earlier. What did you get up to?" the director asked casually.
"Oh, I just went out to buy some fresh fruits… for a girl," he admitted a bit shyly. He didn't want to lie, but he also didn't want to give away too much.
"A girl, huh? So, which one of our nurses caught your eye?" the director teased, giving him a light pat on the shoulder.
Kheo chuckled, avoiding eye contact. "She's not a nurse, Director."
"Oh? Then who is she?"
"She's just... a patient. That's all," he replied, shrugging. "With all the meds, procedures, and sterile meals they get in here, I figured a little fresh fruit might be a nice change. Something normal."
The director raised an eyebrow. "That's a thoughtful gesture. But are you sure this is just kindness?"
Kheo paused. He glanced down the hallway, then back at the director with a small, uncertain smile.
"Kindness is enough for now."
The director gave him a long look, then nodded slowly. "Just make sure you know what you're doing, Kheo," he said before walking off.
Kheo stood there for a moment, feeling the weight of the conversation sink into his chest. Something strange was brewing inside him, and he couldn't quite make sense of it. Was he doing this to keep JC from playing games with Celestia—or because he had started to genuinely care?
He thought it would be easy to mess with her, to push her buttons. But he'd been wrong. She was sharper than he expected, more stubborn, and surprisingly good at throwing his own words back at him. Half the time, he didn't even know how to respond—so he just found other ways to get through to her.
As he walked down the hospital corridor, he looked around at the women working that day. They were all beautiful in their own right. Smart, capable, elegant. But somehow, none of them ever made him feel the way she did.
He had to admit it: many women in this hospital were attractive. But they weren't his type.
So how did a blind girl with a mountain of pride manage to stir something in the heart of a man who never used to care?
No… no way.
"Huh? No way what?" a voice asked, pulling him from his thoughts.
"Huh?" he blinked, confused.
"You're the one saying it," the woman said with a half-smile.
"I-it's nothing," he mumbled, clearly lost in his head.
"You sure? Want to grab a coffee or something?" Her tone shifted into something softer—more flirtatious.
But the moment her voice changed, Kheo's expression turned cold.
"No thanks. I've got somewhere to be," he said flatly.
"Whoa, okay," she replied, caught off guard by his sudden shift.
That was Nurse Theiana Zalvez—gorgeous, sharp, intelligent, sexy. Long hair, light brown eyes, and the type that usually turned heads. She was popular, even chased after. But Kheo had never felt even the slightest attraction toward her.
She'd approached him more than once, offering dinner, a night out, something casual. But he had no interest in that kind of charm. That kind of polished, too-perfect presence didn't move him. He always turned her down.
Believe it or not, women in this hospital actually pursued him. But to him, they were just thorns—sharp and dangerous in ways he didn't care to explore. Until his heart could figure out what it truly wanted, he'd rather stay away from anything that felt forced or shallow.
If it was work, no problem. He could talk all day.
But if it was something else? He didn't mind walking away—even if it meant stepping on someone's feelings.
---
POV: Kheo
He was halfway down the hallway, lost in thought, when a sharp voice echoed from one of the rooms.
"Let me go!"
Kheo froze.
That was Celestia.
Without thinking, his feet moved. He sprinted toward the direction of the noise, weaving past startled nurses and ignoring their curious glances. His heart beat loudly in his ears.
When he turned the corner and reached the room, the door was already ajar.
---
POV: Celestia
Her breathing was shaky. She could feel the pressure of JC's hands clamped down tightly on her shoulders. She hated how firm his grip was—like he was trying to hold her in place, like she was something he owned.
"Why won't you just accept me again?" JC's voice cracked with frustration. "I'm your boyfriend! Why are you pushing me away?!"
"I don't remember you!" she shouted back, tears brimming in her unseeing eyes. "And even if I did… I wouldn't want this!"
Her chest heaved, and her hands trembled as she tried to shove him off. His touch wasn't comforting—it was suffocating.
Then came another voice.
---
POV: Kheo
"What the hell are you doing?!"
JC and Celestia both turned—JC startled, Celestia relieved.
Kheo stormed into the room, fists clenched, eyes burning.
"If she relapses, her condition could worsen. Her memory could be even harder to recover. Do you even understand how dangerous this is?!"
JC raised both hands as if to say he didn't mean any harm. "I was just—"
"Just what?" Kheo snapped. "Yelling at her? Forcing yourself on her? You think that's helping?"
"She's my girlfriend!" JC argued, voice rising. "She should be with me!"
Celestia flinched at the word "should," and Kheo saw it. That was all it took.
"Get out," Kheo warned through gritted teeth.
But JC didn't move. Instead, he smirked bitterly.
"You're really gonna fight me over a blind girl with no future?" JC muttered coldly. "She's broken. She's got nothing. I'm the only one still willing to take her as she is."
Time froze.
---
POV: Kheo
The words echoed in his head like a trigger pulled.
And then—he moved.
The punch landed square on JC's jaw, hard enough to send him stumbling back into the doorframe. The crack of knuckles against bone rang out loud and clear.
JC groaned, hand flying to his face.
"Get. Out," Kheo said again, this time with a voice low and lethal.
JC, dazed, wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and glanced at Celestia, who was now curled inward, like she was trying to make herself small. He didn't say another word—just turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
---
POV: Celestia
She couldn't see what happened, but she heard it all—the anger in Kheo's voice, the insult from JC, and then… the punch.
The silence that followed was heavy.
Then, she heard footsteps—slow, careful—and felt a presence kneel beside her bed.
"You okay?" Kheo asked softly, his tone now stripped of anger.
Celestia didn't answer right away. Her lip quivered.
Then she whispered, "I didn't want him to touch me."
"You don't have to explain," Kheo said. "He's gone now."
She turned her head toward the sound of his voice. "You… stayed."
"Of course," he said. "Always."
ALWAYS?