She nods before giving me a tentative smile.
I keep my gaze on the rearview mirror as I back out. The woman stands there, a small, proud figure against the backdrop of the house. I don’t feel an ounce of remorse, but there’s a rightness in my soul.
Nicholas Crenshaw deserved to die.
Almost as much as Delilah deserves to live.
Chapter 48
DELILAH
My eyelids flutter open to blinding white lights. The brightness is jarring, stabbing my brain like needles. I blink rapidly, trying to orient myself, but each movement sends a shock wave of pain echoing inside my skull. Where am I? The last thing I remember is... is...
“Ben,” I whisper, the name slipping out like a ghost. The pain of losing him hits me afresh, a gaping wound in my heart that refuses to heal. My throat tightens, and a heaviness settles in my chest, making it hard to breathe.
“Delilah, you’re awake!”
June’s voice cuts through the fog of my confusion. I turn my head slightly, wincing at the sharp pain that follows the motion. June is sitting beside me, her face etched with concern. “How are you feeling?” she asks, reaching out to adjust a pillow behind my head.
I try to speak, to ask the dozens of questions tumbling through my mind, but only a hoarse whisper escapes. “What... what happened?”
“You had a heart attack,” June says softly, her eyes never leaving mine. “It was all too much—the news about Ben... you just collapsed.”
A heart attack?
The words don’t make sense. I’m too young, aren’t I?
Yet the ache in my chest, the sluggishness of my limbs—it all starts to form a terrifying picture. I try to process this, to understand, but another, more urgent question pushes its way forward.
“Where’s Xavier?” The urgency in my voice surprises even me. I need him here, need to see him, to know he’s real and here and?—
June hesitates, her eyes shifting away from mine. “He... he had to step out for a bit,” she says, a little too quickly.
I frown, struggling to sit up, pushing against the weakness that threatens to pull me back down. “June, where is he?” There’s a sharpness in my tone now, a rising panic. Xavier wouldn’t just leave, not now, not unless?—
“He’ll be back soon,” June assures me, but her voice lacks conviction. She avoids my gaze, busying herself with the IV drip beside my bed.
I don’t miss the evasion, and it sends a chill down my spine. “June,” I press, my voice stronger now, fueled by a mix of fear and need. “Please, I need to know.”
June sighs, her shoulders sagging as she finally meets my eyes. “Delilah, let’s just focus on getting you better, okay? Xavier is... he’s dealing with everything. He’s trying to do what’s best for you.”
But that’s not an answer, and we both know it. It’s a deflection, and it scares me more than anything else. Why won’t she tell me where he is? What isn’t she saying?
I lie back, the energy seeping out of me as quickly as it had surged. Tears prickle at the corners of my eyes, not just for Ben,not just for what I’ve lost, but for the gnawing fear of what I still might lose. “June, please,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “Don’t keep things from me. Not now.”
June looks at me, her face a mask of sorrow and sympathy. “You need a heart transplant.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut, stealing the breath from my lungs. My head spins, and my vision goes blurry. The machines hooked up to me start wailing, and June jumps to her feet, wringing her hands.
“You have to relax, Delilah. The stress is bad for your heart. Please.”
I try to calm down, but the reality of the situation is too much. I need Xavier. I need him. But he’s not here. And as much as I love June, she’s not him. She can’t ease the pain that’s tearing me apart, the fear and dread and uncertainty.
My body goes numb, a cold wave of shock and despair washing over me. Tears stream down my cheeks, and a raw sob escapes my lips.
“Shhh, it’s okay. You’re going to be okay,” June murmurs, her voice breaking. She reaches out and grabs my hand, squeezing tightly.
I squeeze back, clinging to her as my world falls apart. I feel like I’m being torn in two, like my heart is literally breaking. Ben is dead. I’m dying. And Xavier has abandoned me.
