In the clinic’s hallway, we almost collided with Marina. She was limping slightly, clearly having hurt her foot, and struggling to make her way down the corridor.
Caleb, who had been so gentle moments before with me, immediately furrowed his brow.
Without even looking at me, he hurried to Marina’s side, supporting her carefully.
“What happened?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.
Marina glanced past him toward me and smiled faintly. “Just a sprained ankle. Funny coincidence—you’re here for a checkup too?”
Caleb froze for a heartbeat, glancing back at me with an expression I recognized all too well: guilt hiding behind composure. It had always been there when Marina appeared, but now it was glaringly obvious.
“Yeah,” he said quickly, adjusting his posture. “My… friend’s little sister had a fever, so I brought her along for a check-up.”
I wasn’t surprised. I shouldn’t have been. Ever since Caleb refused to make our relationship public, I had been “the younger sister of a friend”—no one outside his inner circle knew the truth.
Marina nodded. “Of course you have to take care of her. I’ll manage, you two go ahead.” She gestured toward another wing of the clinic.