The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

The moment Soren walked into the lab, Anna could sense something was off with him. The atmosphere turned tense, a stark

contrast to the usual buzz of activity.

Anna tried to broach the subject a few times, suggesting they could skip the day's experiments if he wasn't feeling up to it. After

all, this was his fifth test tube of the day.

"Soren, you..." Before Anna could finish, Soren cut her off with a look that made her swallow her words. "It's fine, do whatever you

think is best!"

Soren's glance as Anna gathered her things to leave was laden with sorrow. It was clear she was avoiding him. Why could she

interact normally with everyone else but not him? He hadn't done anything wrong.

As Anna hurried out of the lab, aware that no good woulde from Soren's anger, she kept her distance for the rest of the day.

She even avoided asking him questions, turning to Brody instead.

Soren was left puzzled, spending a good chunk of the day wondering what went wrong.

Finally, after wrapping up the last experiment, Anna cleaned up the lab with an efficiency that saw her out the door in moments,

only to find Arnold waiting for her with his car.

"Arnold, you didn't have toe. I've told you, | can get back on my own. You're cutting into your downtime," Anna said, aware

that Arnold had been waiting a while, given her tendency to lose track of tduring experiments.

Arnold waved off her concerns. "I'm notfortable with you walking back alone, especially with the recent reports of people

being followed. I'd rather ensure your safety than worry."

As Arnold finished speaking, a scoff sounded from behind Anna, light but clear to both of them.

Turning, they saw Soren stepping out from the shadows, his gaze on Arnold as wary and warning as it had been in the morning.

Arnold gave Anna a look that seemed to say she was oblivious to the tension. Soren, hesitating, finally spoke up. "If it's

inconvenient, | can take you home."

"Soren, that's really not necessary," Anna said, managing to hide her difort in the darkness.

Soren took her reluctance as a sign she didn't want to be near him and quickly left without another word.

Arnold, sensing the odd vibe, cheerfully suggested they head back. "Have you had dinner? If not, I've got groceries, and | can cook

us something. It's been a while, right?"

Anna couldn't shake the feeling that Arnold's demeanor was off. His voice seemed too loud for just the two of them, and his

politeness in opening the car door felt exaggerated.

Unaware of Anna's thoughts, Arnold ushered her into the car and glanced back once before driving away.

Soren, gripping his steering wheel tightly, watched them leave, feeling a mix of emotions. Despite his efforts to resist, he ended up

following them, unable to believe Anna would so easily let someone into her home.

From across the street, he saw them laughing together as they entered her building and the light in her apartment turn on. His

mood darkened further.

Later, Soren found himself in a bar, trying to drown his sorrows. Surrounded by empty bottles, he lamented, "Why doesn't she like

me? Why won't she givea chance?"

After leaving Anna's place, Arnold checked his watch. It was 9 PM. Anna waved him off with a reminder to drive safely. "I'll pick you

up for work tomorrow. Get srest," Arnold insisted, a matter of masculine pride.

Anna shook her head at his departing figure, puzzled by the day's events. Before she could reflect further, she sensed someone

lurking nearby and braced herself.

The moment the shadow neared, Anna acted, catching the figure with ease. The warmth of the embrace and a familiar scent

confused her until she heard a muffled voice.

A soft chuckle made her look up into Soren's eyes, which seemed different, almost pleading, like a puppy seeking affection.

Caught off guard by her own thoughts, Anna quickly looked away, only to find Soren leaning on her, unable to stand on his own.

"What are you doing here? And drunk? Can you get back on your own?" she asked.

Soren, seizing an opportunity, feigned dizziness. "My head's spinning."

The concern in Anna's voice was palpable as she questioned, "Is it serious? Should we head to the hospital?"

Soren let out a resigned sigh, realizing Anna was also someone who missed the subtext in conversations.

"Could you helpget to a chair?"

"Of course."

With small, careful steps, Anna supported Soren towards the interior, encountering a neighbor in the elevator by chance.

The neighbor looked surprised, "Anna, who's this?"

If memory served right, wasn't it just a short while ago that Arnold had left?

Soren tensed up, equally curious about how Anna had introduced him to others.

However, his curiosity was short-lived as Anna promptly shattered any illusions he had.

"Oh, him? He's my boss. Had a bit too much to drink, so I'm helping him get srest," Anna explained, immediately sensing

Soren's mood take a dive.

The neighbor chuckled, "Always the kind-hearted one, Anna. Your boss owes you a raise for this!"

After a brief exchange, Anna led Soren back to her apartment.

The moment Soren stepped inside, he began surveying the layout of the room.