Stranger in my Ass-Chapter 238

Olivia’s POV

Six hours later, we touched down in New Delhi.

The heat hit us the moment we stepped off the plane, even at midnight. Humid and heavy, so different from Tokyo’s cool spring air.

A car was waiting - another black Mercedes with tinted windows.

"Hospital?" the driver asked in accented English.

"Hospital," Maxwell confirmed, sliding into the back seat beside me.

Kennedy pulled out his phone and dialed. "Kira? We just landed... Which hospital?... Okay. We’re on our way."

He hung up and relayed the name to the driver, who nodded and pulled into traffic.

New Delhi at night was a different world. Even at this late hour, the streets were alive - rickshaws weaving between cars, street vendors still selling food, the smell of spices and exhaust mixing in the air.

"How did she sound?" I asked Kennedy.

"Tired. Scared. But coherent." He glanced at me. "She’ll be glad you’re here."

The drive felt eternal. Every red light, every slow-moving vehicle, every turn that took us deeper into the city - all of it stretched time until I wanted to scream. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Finally, we pulled up to a large modern hospital, its windows blazing with light.

We piled out and rushed inside.

The reception area was chaos - people everywhere, speaking rapid Hindi, families waiting in clusters, the smell of antiseptic.

Kennedy approached the desk, speaking to the receptionist in a mix of English and hand gestures. After a moment, she pointed toward the elevators.

"Fourth floor. ICU."

We hurried.

The elevator ride was silent, tense. Maxwell was breathing carefully, his hand pressed to his side. Gabriel and Kennedy looked at him with concern.

And I just felt sick with worry.

The elevator dinged. Fourth floor.

We stepped out into a quiet hallway, so different from the chaos below. A nurse’s station sat empty in the center, doors leading to various rooms.

"There," Kennedy said, pointing.

Kira sat in a plastic chair outside one of the rooms, her head in her hands.

She was wearing torn clothes, blood-stained and dirty. Her short hair was disheveled. She looked small. Broken.

"Kira!" I called out.

Her head snapped up.

For a moment, we just stared at each other. Then she was on her feet, running toward me, and we collided in a hug so fierce it knocked the air from my lungs.

"Olivia," she sobbed into my shoulder. "Oh my God, Olivia."

"I’m here. I’m here. It’s okay." I held her tight, feeling her shake. "You’re okay. You’re safe now."

"I’m so sorry I didn’t answer when you called..."

"Don’t. Don’t apologize. Nothing to apologize for."

Behind us, Maxwell had moved to the window of Damien’s room, peering inside. Kennedy stood awkwardly, clearly wanting to comfort Kira but not knowing how.

And Gabriel...

Gabriel was staring at Kira with his mouth actually hanging open.

"Kira?" he said slowly. "Why are you dressed like... Is that a men’s suit? And is that... fake facial hair?"

Kira pulled back from me, and I saw the moment she realized.

Her disguise. Kyle’s disguise. It was still partially in place - the binder visible through her torn shirt, remnants of adhesive on her jaw where facial hair had been ripped away, her masculine clothes torn and bloody.

She looked like exactly what she was: a woman who’d been pretending to be a man and had that secret violently exposed.

"Oh God," Kira breathed.

Kennedy’s eyes widened as understanding dawned. "Kyle? You’re... you’ve been Kyle this whole time?"

Maxwell turned from the window, taking in Kira’s appearance, and his eyebrows shot up. "Well. This is interesting."

"I can explain..." Kira started, her voice breaking.

"You’re Kyle," Kennedy repeated, and I couldn’t read his expression. "Damien’s bodyguard Kyle. That’s you?"

"Yes."

"You’ve been lying to me. For how long?"

"Kennedy..." Kira took a step toward him, but he stepped back.

"How long?"

"It’s just a month." she whispered. "And I was going to quit. This was supposed to be my last job."

The silence was deafening.

Gabriel was still staring. "You pretended to be a man? Just to be Damien’s bodyguard?"

"Yes."

"But why?"

"Because Mr. Wellington doesn’t hire female bodyguards!" Kira’s voice rose, desperate. "Because I needed the job! Because I’m actually really fucking good at it, and the only way they’d give me a chance was if they thought I was a man!"

"That’s..." Gabriel shook his head. "That’s actually kind of impressive."

"Kennedy, please..." Kira’s eyes were filling with tears. "I was going to tell you. I was planning to quit, to come clean, I just needed time..."

"When?" Kennedy demanded. "When were you going to tell me? After we’d dated for a year? After we’d gotten serious? When, Kira?"

"I don’t know! I’m sorry! I just..." Tears spilled over. "I didn’t know how. I was scared. Scared you’d hate me. Scared you’d think I was insane. Scared of exactly this - this look on your face right now."

Kennedy’s jaw worked. He looked at her - really looked at her this time - taking in the torn clothes, the blood, the exhaustion, the fear in her eyes.

"Were you hurt?" he asked finally, his voice quieter.

"What?"

"During the kidnapping. Were you hurt?"

"I... no. Damien protected me. He fought them. He got shot protecting me because they discovered I was a woman and wanted to..." Her voice broke completely. "It’s my fault. All of it. If I’d been better at my job, if I’d seen them coming, if I’d protected him like I was supposed to..."

"Stop." Kennedy closed the distance between them in two strides and pulled her into his arms. "Stop. This isn’t your fault."

Kira collapsed against him, sobbing.

I felt my own eyes burning with tears.

Maxwell had turned back to the window, his hand pressed flat against the glass as he looked at his brother’s still form.

Gabriel stood awkwardly, clearly not sure what to do in this emotional minefield.

And Kennedy just held Kira, her face buried in his shoulders, as she cried.

"We’ll figure this out," he murmured. "All of it. The lies, the job, everything. But right now, you’re here. You’re safe. And that’s all that matters."

"I’m sorry," Kira kept saying. "I’m so sorry."

"I know. I know you are."

I moved to the window beside Maxwell, looking in at Damien.

He was pale, hooked up to machines, bandages visible beneath his hospital gown. But his chest rose and fell steadily.

"He’s going to be okay," I said quietly.

"I know." Maxwell’s voice was rough. "He has to be."

We stood there in silence, watching Damien breathe, while behind us Kennedy held Kira and Gabriel stood alone.