The Heartthrob's Secret Chapter 1

I was hooked up to an IV in the infusion room when I suddenly heard the inner thoughts of the hot guy sitting across from me:

[Oh my God, isn't that the woman on Liam's lock screen?]

[If I call Liam right now, he'll rush over in a heartbeat, won't he?]

[She's all alone getting an IV in the middle of the night. Liam's gonna be heartbroken.]

The infusion room was crowded. I thought the hot guy was talking about someone else.

Little did I know, the person he was secretly taking photos of was actually me.

* * *

Being alone in the hospital while sick, hooked up to an IV, is lonely.

I was staring at the drip, afraid to fall asleep.

Just when I felt most vulnerable and lonely, I suddenly heard the inner thoughts of the hot guy sitting opposite me:

[Oh my God, isn't that the woman on Liam's lock screen?]

[She's all alone getting an IV in the middle of the night. Liam's gonna be heartbroken if he finds out.]

[If I call Liam right now, he'll rush over in a heartbeat, won't he?]

The infusion room was packed with people. I assumed he was talking about someone else and looked around curiously like any other bystander.

But then, I realized the person he was secretly photographing with his phone was me.

I wondered if I was hallucinating because I was sick and fragile, craving company. Then I heard his thoughts again.

He had his head down, seemingly texting:

[Liam, look who I ran into at the hospital.]

[Is she the woman on your lock screen?]

[She's all alone in the infusion room. No one's with her.]

[How would I know what she's sick with?]

[Anyway, no one's keeping her company.]

[She looks so sleepy, almost dozing off a few times.]

[But she keeps jolting awake to check the IV bag.]

[Is your heart breaking into pieces right now?]

[Huh? You're asking which hospital?]

[Information this important costs money, you know.]

[Five hundred bucks. Transfer now.]

[Not a cent less or I won't tell you.]

What? Five hundred dollars?

Is he robbing someone?

I wanted to rush over and ask him if I should get a cut of that money.

Ding-dong. It seemed the money arrived.

The hot guy shifted to a more excited sitting position.

I continued to hear his thoughts:

[Wow, Liam, you're so generous.]

[I'll tell you, I'll tell you right now.]

[City General Hospital, second floor, Adult Infusion Room.]

[Hurry up, waiting for you.]

[Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her for you.]

I really wanted to walk over and tell him:

Instead of staring at me, why don't you help me stare at my IV bottle?

I was so sleepy, wanting to sleep but afraid no one would call the nurse when the IV finished.

It would be trouble if blood flowed back or air got into the line.

I closed my eyes, racking my brain, but couldn't figure it out.

Which "Liam" had a crush on me?

Until twenty minutes later.

Someone pushed open the doors of the infusion room.

He was incredibly handsome in a black trench coat, his long legs particularly eye-catching.

Underneath, he wore a white shirt, hinting at a toned waist, full of sexual tension.

What surprised me most was that face—it was too familiar!

Peak visual perfection.

Wasn't this my best friend Sarah's younger brother, Liam Thorne, who had emigrated abroad?

Dead memories suddenly began to attack me.