Probably.
But I’m not.
Because the moment Elijah saw me in that room, all the fury in him faltered. I saw it—clear as day. Fear. Not of George. But of me.
The kind of fear you only carry when you're terrified of losing the person you love.
I never thought I’d see fear in Elijah Blacksmith’s eyes. But there it was, raw and real—the quiet, panicked question:Will she still love me after seeing this part of me?
So I did the only thing that felt right. I walked to him. I kissed him. I told him I loved him.
And that was the moment I chosehim. I choseus. Not because he's perfect, but because he's mine. And because I know—down to my bones—that I am his.
I’m almost at the top of the stairs when I hear the gunshot.
That sound. That one sharp crack.
It’s like a bell ringing out over a battlefield—the sound that marksbeforeandafter.
And now, we're in the after.
I know I have a long road ahead. So many pieces of myself to gather. So much healing to do.
But I also know this:
I won’t be alone.
Chapter forty-five
Elijah
One month later
Ava’sbreathingisn’tright.
It’s subtle at first—little hitches between exhales, like her lungs are second-guessing themselves. She shifts beside me in bed, caught in something I can’t see. I’m not fully awake yet, but I feel the change in her body. Something’s wrong.
I turn toward her.
Her face is twisted in pain. Brow furrowed. Lips moving without sound. Her fingers dig into the blanket like she’s trying to anchor herself to it.
“Ava?” I whisper, sitting up. My voice comes out cracked.
She doesn’t wake.
She gasps—sharp and shallow—and suddenly jerks like she’s being pulled under. And then it hits: the scream. Not loud. Not cinematic. Just torn and real, and it cuts through me like a knife.
“Ava, baby—wake up. It’s just a dream. I’m here. I’ve got you.”
I reach for her shoulder, gently, but she shrinks from my touch like I’ve slapped her.
Her eyes snap open, and what I see in them wrecks me.
She doesn’t see me.
She seeshim.
She scrambles back, slamming into the headboard, chest heaving, arms up in defense. She’s shaking so hard the whole bed trembles with her.
