A smirk slips past his serious demeanor. “Anything else, Your Grace?”
“Yes.” I close my eyes and groan. “Don’t… call me that. Don’t… let her… worry. Make her believe… I’m fine.”
He lets go of my hand and motions for the others to get moving, but I’m not done yet.
“And when this is… behind us.” A fragile smile forms on my lips. “I’m… fucking her… so hard… we’ll learn what… heaven looks like.”
The doctor shakes his head, the corners of his mouth twitching as he tries to stifle a snicker. “Not until after you heal, I’m afraid. I’m sure she’ll be fine with waiting.”
We move to an elevator, and as soon as we’re inside I grab his hand again. “Waited too long… already. Just tell her… so she knows… I’m okay.”
The noises fade, shadows creeping in. But I lock onto one truth—I’m not fucking dying. Not when I finally have something worth living for.
Chapter 23
Ingrid
Hours. That’s how long it’s been since they took him back to surgery. Not a single update. To them, I’m no one. Just another stranger in the waiting room.
Except they’re wrong. He’s my world. The center of my gravity. I won’t survive without him.
Why now? Everything is finally going right for me. It’s like the universe noticed and decided to correct a mistake.
Sorry, Ingrid. Just kidding. You’re playing the life is shit game and happiness isn’t in the cards for you.
Restless, I stand and pace, each step failing to calm the thunder in my chest. My heart is pounding so hard it echoes in my ears, blood rushing like a drum I can’t silence.
He has to be okay. He has to be.
The waiting room doors hiss open. I glance up in time to see my best friend barrel inside, with Esteban on her heels.
A pang of guilt pierces me. Their secret’s blown. All the stolen moments they’ve fought for—gone. They’ll have to come clean. Maybe it’s for the best. Better to live in the open than hide in the dark. But that’s a lesson they have to learn on their own.
I’m in her arms seconds later. Her embrace is warm, solid, exactly the comfort I’ve been craving. Tears stream down my cheeks and stain her shirt.
My lungs burn as I force the words out, heavy and desperate. “I love him, Winifred. I love him, and I may never get the chance to tell him that. If he survives this, I’m not letting a second pass before I share that with him. I can’t lose him. I can’t.”
She rubs slow circles on my back, her whisper soft. “Shhh.”
I drag in another breath, wipe at my eyes, and manage a shaky smile. “So, you were with...?”
Looks like her and Esteban were spending her break together. Good for her. He makes her happy. Her family is worse than mine if one can believe that. It’s nice to know she has someone who is looking out for her. Although it kills me to think we may have just outed them. It was bound to happen sooner than later.
“Yes.” She steadies me with a hand on my back, guiding me to a chair. “So, you and Darius? Ingrid, I’m so sorry this happened.”
Tears fill my eyes again, hot and heavy, and I don’t bother stopping them. “I didn’t plan on it, you know. I did my best to encourage him to give it up and forget about me.”
Winifred lets out a soft laugh, her hand covering mine. “A man like Darius Falcon doesn’t give up without a fight. I believe he loves you as well.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, the weight of my sadness unbearable, a crushing pressure in my chest. “I hope I get the chance to find out.”
Footsteps echo down the hall, growing louder until they shift to muffled thuds on the carpet of the waiting room. My eyes snap open, hoping it’s someone who can give me the answers I desperately need.
It’s a man in dark blue scrubs. He looks exhausted. His eyes find mine and he walks toward me. “One of you ladies must be Ingrid Lennox. Am I correct?”
Before I can reply, a couple walks in right behind him. One look at the man, and I know who he is. He’s an older version of the one who stole my heart.
“I am.” My legs shake underneath me, warning me that if he speaks the wrong words, they’ll fail me and send me crashing to the floor.
