"Say it as you mean it, Iris," Sean growled. "Your future depends on it."

"I said sorry," Iris sobbed. "What more do you want from me?"

​​

"I want you to mean it, Iris," Sean said. "What's wrong with you? What has Catherine ever done to you?"

"She took you from me," Iris sobbed.

Catherine rolled her eyes, but Iris' act seemed to be working. Sean released his grip on her shoulders, and Brad draped a comforting arm around her.

"Okay, Sean," Brad said. "I think that's enough. She knows she was wrong, but she acted out of good intentions. If you gave Levi another chance, you have to give her one too. She's your sister, after all."

"That's because I know Levi's temperament, and I know hers," Sean said. "Iris won't change."

Brad gave Sean a wounded look and led her towards the door, whispering words of comfort as he went. Even after they left the room, Iris sobs echoed in the large hallway outside.

"I'm going to leave now," Leydon said, looking uncomfortable. "I know you're angry—and you have every right to be—but you know things haven't been easy for Iris, and you know she loves you."

"Tell Brad to take Iris back home," Sean said. "And tell him to tell her that she's on house arrest for the next month. If she sets a foot outside of the property, there will be consequences. And if she tries to contact Catherine in any way, she'll stay inside even longer."

"Right," Leydon said, embarrassed. "I'll pass that on."

"Good," Sean snapped. "Oh, and one more thing, tell her she's not allowed to use her credit cards for the next month. I want her to think about what she's done."

"Are you sure you don't want to tell her yourself?" Leydon asked.

Sean glared at him.

"Right then," Leydon said. "I'll be off."

The room emptied, and Catherine was alone with Sean. Wordlessly, he crossed the room and wrapped her in his arms. His heart raced in his chest, and his breathing came in short, furious bursts, but as he held her, they slowed.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "My family is complicated, especially my sister."

"I've noticed," she replied.

"It won't ever happen again," he said, "I swear to you."

"I hope not," she said.

"I'm going to get to the bottom of his," he promised. "I know Iris, and I know she's not capable of coming up with something like this. She's not careful enough to make a plan like that—no, I'm sure someone else helped her."

"Perhaps," Catherine said, feeling uncomfortable.

"I know you don't like her," he said. "You have every reason to hate her, but she's not a bad person. She's just protective and a bit emotional."

"Sure," she said. "If you don't mind, Sean, it's been a long day. I still want to shower and go to bed."

Wordlessly, Sean picked her up, cradling her in his arms again. Moving slowly, he carried her out of the living room and toward the stairs.

"Put me down," she objected.

"Your ankle is sprained," he said. "The doctor said you have to rest it."

"Sprained, not broken," she snapped. "I can still walk."

"I don't care," he said. "You won't be walking for the next few days."

Catherine gritted her teeth but decided against saying anything. Sean was clearly in a strange mood, and arguing with him would be pointless. She allowed him to carry her up the long staircase, feeling a bit grateful that she didn't have to navigate the stairs with her ankle. He walked her down the hall and into her room and stopped beside the bed.

"If you're going to carry me around like this, you might take me to the bathroom," she said.

"I told you, you're not supposed to shower," he said. "You're going to infect your hand."

"Then I'll take a bath," she snapped. "I'm covered in blood, and I smell like a butcher's rubbish bin. I'm not getting into bed when I'm sticky and smelly. I don't even know if all of this blood is even my own."

"Well," he said with a strange glint in his eyes. "If you insist on taking a bath, I'll help you."

"That's completely unnecessary," she said. "Geoffrey or Sarah can help me."

"Geoffrey is currently on probation, and Sarah is busy," Sean said.

"Sarah's busy?" Catherine repeated, rolling her eyes.

As Sarah's boss, Sean could ask her to do whatever he wanted. He was just making excuses. She bit her lip. She knew she should refuse him, but she was too tired to fight. She just wanted to take a hot bath and go to bed.

"Whatever," she said.

He smiled triumphantly and carried her into the bathroom. He placed her on her vanity stool and walked to the huge tub to draw the water. Beside the tub, there were several crystal jars filled with salts and different gels. He squinted at them in confusion and then dumped a few spoonfuls of lavender colored salt into the water before adding some gel on top. The aroma of dried lavender flowers filled the air, and bubbles began to foam in the tub. He crossed to the stool and began to unzip the back of her dress.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Helping you take a bath," he said.

"That's not necessary," she snapped. "I can take my dress off by myself."

"Oh, can you?" he asked.

Catherine reached for the zipper with her right hand but found she couldn't grab it through the thick gauze bandage. She tried again with her left, but the zipper wouldn't budge—it was crusted with blood. Fuming, she gave up and let Sean work on the zipper.

Sean's fingers were warm and gentle. As he unzipped the back of her dress, he trailed them over her spine, making Catherine shiver. Sean made a sound low in his throat and helped her to her feet. He unhooked the clasp on her bra, tracing the indents it left on her skin. Instinctively, she held the front of the bra to her chest with her hand.

"I can handle this part," she said.

For a moment, Catherine wondered if he'd watch her, but he turned away. She let her bra fall to the floor and tugged her underwear down her legs. She looked at the bandage wrapped around her ankle and then at Sean and shrugged. With the bandage still on her ankle, she hobbled to the bath and sank into the steaming water. As the white, frothy bubbles surrounded her, she found herself very grateful for the privacy they gave.

He turned around and smiled slightly before dragging the stool to the side of the tub. Wordlessly, he reached for Catherine a bottle of shampoo and began to massage it into her hair. As he worked, he was surprisingly gentle, and she felt a strange feeling rise in her stomach—Sean Blair was washing her hair.

She closed her eyes and tried to enjoy the feeling without wondering too much about what it meant. Was it guilt? Was he trying to apologize for what had happened with Iris? Why did he care so much?

"Keep your eyes closed," he murmured.

She heard the sound of running water and felt the warm water run down over her hair as he rinsed the shampoo. She heard him open the bottle of conditioner and felt his fingers tangle in her hair again. She smiled.