She covered her eyes with her hand as tears slipped into her pillow. ’There was a time I believed only he could be worthy of such a refined scent.’

Someone was talking outside. Georgia Thorne sat up, got out of bed, and pulled aside the curtains. It was already dark.

Elliot Sheridan pushed the door open and entered.

"You’re awake? Does your lower abdomen still hurt?"

Georgia Thorne turned to face him and shook her head.

’If it weren’t for the special circumstances, he definitely wouldn’t have let me off so easily.’

Georgia didn’t ask how she’d ended up in Elliot Sheridan’s private apartment. ’A man with the power to get me into Portmire U would naturally be able to keep tabs on me.’

Elliot Sheridan handed her a glass of warm brown sugar water and told her to drink it.

Under the warm lighting, her face was still devoid of color. She was in bad shape.

His blunt words made Georgia’s ears burn. She lowered her head, downed the brown sugar water in one gulp, and didn’t dare to look up at the man.

That night, Georgia stayed over at Elliot Sheridan’s private apartment.

Elliot Sheridan clasped her small hand, his thumb slowly brushing over the back of it. The faint blue mark from an IV needle was still visible.

"Georgia, you don’t seem to like being with me very much, do you?"

"I should get back. I have military training tomorrow," Georgia said, her head lowered, feeling the warmth of his hand on hers.

"The dorm gates are already locked for the night. You wouldn’t be able to get in if you went back now. As it happens, you can stay the night right here."

His tone brooked no refusal, so Georgia didn’t argue.

The next day, Owen Sawyer personally drove her to the university.

Military training resumed. During a water break, Nancy Hughes asked caringly, "Are you feeling better?"

"I’m much better now!" Georgia said, shaking her head. Nancy looked at her wistfully. "I’m so jealous you got to go home. Your own bed must be so comfy, right? I miss my bed like crazy!"

Georgia gave a hollow laugh. ’The bed *was* comfortable, but being pressed down by Elliot Sheridan certainly wasn’t.’

In the blink of an eye, the two weeks of military training were over.

And with that, Georgia’s period finally ended.

Just as she came out of the shower, Nancy Hughes yelled, holding up Georgia’s phone, "Georgia, your uncle is on the phone!"

Georgia’s first reaction was, ’Who’s my uncle?’

When the handsome face of a certain man flashed through her mind, she scrambled over in a panic and snatched the phone.

"Look how anxious you are! If I didn’t know better, I’d think that was your boyfriend," Nancy commented nonchalantly.

Georgia clutched the phone, her heart hammering in her chest.

’Elliot Sheridan was in a league far beyond any mere boyfriend.’

She stepped into the bathroom before answering. "Hello?"

After a few seconds, Elliot Sheridan’s voice came through. "What are you doing?"

"Just got out of the shower," Georgia answered, lowering her voice nervously, afraid Nancy would overhear.

"Downstairs in five minutes."

"You’re coming to the university?"

She was so shocked by his words that she stammered.

"Yeah. I happen to be taking care of something near campus."

"Oh... um, could you maybe park a little further away? I’ll come right to you," Georgia said quickly.

She held her breath, wondering what Elliot would think.

"At the intersection by the grove next to your campus. You have ten minutes."

"Okay!"

After hanging up, Georgia quickly changed, grabbed her bag, and rushed out the door.

Nancy Hughes shouted after her, "Georgia, where are you going? Our class’s first get-together is tonight!"

"I have to go home! Just tell everyone I’m sorry!"

And just like that, she was gone, already dashing down the stairs.

’Going home? What’s the big rush? She didn’t even dry her hair.’

Nancy mumbled in confusion.

Georgia recognized Elliot Sheridan’s car, which was parked at the intersection.

Waiting until no one was looking, she pulled open the door and slipped into the car.

Elliot Sheridan was driving himself. He wore sunglasses and watched as her face flushed red.

She sat down, gasping for breath.

Georgia had run all the way there, afraid of keeping Elliot waiting.

So much for the shower she just took; she was covered in sweat from the run.

Thankfully, the car’s air conditioning was blasting, and she soon began to feel comfortable.

Elliot didn’t drive straight back to the apartment. Instead, he headed to a large supermarket first.

He was buying ingredients for dinner and asked if there was anything she wanted.

Georgia picked up a pair of slippers and put them in the cart.

Feeling his dark eyes on her, she explained, "Your slippers... they’re a little too big for me."

’Her feet were tiny. Elliot knew this; he’d held them before, and they were smaller than his own palm.’

’In reality, she was bothered by it.’

’She could turn a blind eye to Elliot’s private life, but she couldn’t stand the thought of sharing things with someone else.’

There were a lot of people at the checkout. Afraid of being overheard, Georgia shot her hand out and covered his mouth.

She looked at him with pleading eyes, begging him to stop talking.

’Her first time had been with Elliot.’

’Before him, Georgia hadn’t even dared to think about it. And after him, she hadn’t dared to, either.’

Elliot slowly peeled her slender fingers away, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at her.

Feeling like a thief caught in the act, she lowered her head, unable to meet Elliot’s teasing gaze.

’Elliot found this shy version of Georgia incredibly amusing.’

Georgia was speechless.

’She really was flustered.’

Teased by Elliot, her cheeks flushed so red they felt like they were on fire.

That night, she inevitably stayed over at Elliot’s apartment.

And this time was no exception.

On the surface, Georgia seemed bold enough, but deep down she was still a shy girl.

Once the lights were off, she could cast aside her bashfulness and respond to him with an active, if clumsy, passion.

’But,’ he thought, ’that was more than enough.’

When it came to Georgia, Elliot felt immensely proud.

After all, he was the one who had personally turned her from a girl into a woman, witnessing her metamorphosis firsthand.

’She was his. Utterly and completely.’

Until a phone began to ring, shattering the tranquility at the most inopportune moment.

Georgia groggily fumbled for her phone and answered it.

"Georgia!"

Selena Sheridan’s voice cut through the line, jolting Georgia from her hazy state.

She shot up in bed, completely forgetting about Elliot’s notoriously foul mood when he was woken up.

"Georgia, let’s hang out today!"

Selena sounded cheerful and excited on the other end, but Georgia had already broken out in a cold sweat.

"Don’t move. Lie back down." Elliot was awake, his dark, sharp eyes fixed on her.

’Like a starving wolf staring at a long-coveted piece of meat.’

"Georgia, did I just hear a man’s voice?"

Selena’s suspicious voice came through the phone, making Georgia’s scalp prickle with terror.

She immediately muffled the phone, looking up to meet Elliot’s stare and whispered, "It’s a call from Selena."

Her tone was soft and frantic, terrified that Elliot’s infamous morning temper would expose their relationship.

’Especially since it was Selena. If she found out I was mixed up with Elliot, she would be so disappointed in me.’

Elliot’s eyes were bloodshot, a restrained desire for Georgia simmering in their depths.

’Having had a taste of Georgia once, he wanted a second time, and a third...’

’The feeling was like an addiction he couldn’t kick.’

Only when she heard the door click shut did Georgia finally let out a breath she’d been holding. "Selena? Are you still there?"

"Georgia, was that a man’s voice just now?"

"N-no, that wasn’t it! I was just watching TV and accidentally had it on speaker!" Georgia’s mind raced as she scrambled for an excuse. "You know me. It’s not like I’m dating anyone!"

Selena seemed to buy it, her voice turning cheerful again. "I knew it. There’s no way you’d start dating someone and not tell me!"