Too much had happened that night for Be to process, so she kept drinking, drowning her thoughts in alcohol.


    Lia wanted to drink with her, but Be stopped her. "You better not. If your heart condition res up, I''ll be too drunk to save you."


    Lia chuckled. "With a doctor by my side, what''s there to worry about? My heart''s not that fragile. Besides, you became a cardiologist because of me. I owe you a drink for that."


    Be had chosen to study medicine and be a cardiologist because of Lia''s congenital heart condition. Lia was her only friend, and Be had tasted loss enough times to know she feared loneliness more than anything.


    By the time it was past midnight, Be was so drunk her consciousness had started to blur. For someone who rarely drank, this night had been far too wild.


    "I''ll take you home..." Lia slurred while holding onto a shred of sobriety.


    Be fumbled with her phone as she mumbled, "I don''t want you to... I''m calling Dominic..."


    Lia couldn''t help butugh at that. "No offense, but you''re hopeless. Even drunk, you''re still thinking about him. Fine, call him. Let him pick you up."


    Be squinted at her phone, struggling to make out the words on the screen. After a few failed attempts, she finally managed to make a call.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    When the line connected, she mumbled, "Dominic, where are you? Come pick me up... I''m at Zero Bar... I can''t go home..."


    On the other end of the line, Felix frowned as he got out of bed and started getting dressed. "Stay there. I''ming to get you."


    It was obvious she had dialed the wrong number, but Felix couldn''t leave her alone. After all, his confession to her back in college hadn''t been a joke. When he arrived at the bar, he scanned the area until he spotted two women slumped over in a corner booth, bothpletely out of it.


    He approached them and gently said, "Be, I''m here. Let''s get you up. I''ll take you home."


    Lia looked up blearily. "Why are you here, Felix? Didn''t she call Dominic?"


    Felix paused before responding, "She called the wrong number."


    Lia was too out of it to argue, and she trusted Felix. She''d heard enough about him from Be to know he was a stand-up guy. "Alright, take her home. I''ll manage on my own." Before leaving, she gave a half-hearted warning, "You better not try anything!"


    Felix nodded, noting that Lia still had some presence of mind. "Be careful on your way home. Once you''re there, send a text to Be''s phone to let us know you''re safe. I''ll keep an eye on her." After helping both women outside, Felix made sure Lia got into a cab and gave the driver strict instructions before letting her go.


    Be was practically leaning entirely on him. He hadn''t expected that after all these years, this would be the closest they''d ever get.


    But he was a gentleman who wouldn''t take advantage of the situation. "Be, I''ll take you back to Miller Manor."


    Be heard him but didn''t recognize his voice. She mumbled incoherently, "I don''t want to go back... Don''t take me back... He doesn''t like seeing me... He''ll be angry..."


    She was so drunk she''dpletely forgotten Dominic wasn''t home. What she blurted out was something deeply ingrained in her, something that had be second nature. Felix frowned. The girl he had longed for had be so cautious and timid after being with Dominic.


    Whether it was selfishness or something else, Felix decided to take Be back to his ce.