I hated him.
I missed him.
Ilovedhim.
And I felt like a fool.
“Liz!” I heard his voice — breathless, desperate, somewhere behind me. “Liz, wait—please!”
I turned, tears mixing with rain, heart clawing at my ribs.
I wanted to run again.
I wanted to fall into him.
But before I could choose—
Somethingsnatched mefrom behind.
A gloved hand slammed over my mouth. An arm locked around my chest, tight and fast. Panic detonated inside me.
I kicked. Screamed. Bit down on the hand.
“Noah!” I tried to yell, but it came out muffled.
His voice cut through the storm.
“LIZ!”
I saw him, just a blur through the rain — sprinting across the alley toward me, eyes wide with pureterror.
“LET HER GO!” he screamed, rage and fear bleeding into every word.
I fought harder, nails digging into my captor’s arm, twisting and thrashing, but the figure was strong — trained.
“NOAH!” I screamed again, raw, tears and rain blinding me.
I reached toward him.
His hand was almost there.
And then—
A sharp sting at my neck.
Everything spun.
Colors blurred.
Sound warped.
Noah’s voice was the last thing I heard.
“LIZ!”
The last thing I saw was Noah face torn with regret and worry and suddenly the world collapsed around me.
Noah
