Not to Disturb Him
Copyright© 2026 by Heel
Chapter 2
Antony turned again—but this time it was different.
He shifted suddenly onto his side, his knee sliding forward as his full weight followed. Rita had been half-awake, her body already tense from hours of vigilance. She tried to pull her leg away, instinctively, but there was nowhere for it to go. Antony’s thigh pressed against her lower leg, pinning it for a brief, terrible moment as his body continued to roll.
Her knee twisted inward.
The sensation was wrong immediately—not sharp, but deep and heavy, as if the joint had slipped out of place. Pain flooded in, thick and nauseating. Rita’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. She pressed her face into the pillow, biting down hard, forcing the pain to stay inside her body.
She did not scream.
She did not call his name.
Antony shifted once more and then went still, his breathing deepening as sleep reclaimed him. Rita stayed frozen, afraid that even a whimper might wake him, afraid that if he moved again, it would be worse. She focused on one thought only: Don’t disturb him. He needs to sleep.
The pain pulsed through her knee, spreading slowly, relentlessly. She did not test it again. She lay there until morning, counting breaths, enduring.
When daylight filled the room, Antony woke and stretched, apologized for tossing and turning, kissed her lightly before getting out of bed. Rita smiled, even joked that she hadn’t slept much either. She said nothing about her leg. Telling him would only make him anxious. He would blame himself. He would stay home. She could not allow that.
She watched him get dressed.
She watched him leave.
Only after the door closed behind him did Rita let herself move.
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