Imeantto tell her I love her.
“There’s nothing to forgive. Nothing. There never was. I love you, Hunter. I do. I love you. I promise,” she’d sobbed.
“It was always you,” I promised.
The macabre slideshow of those moments replays in my mind, each frame etched with pain and love. The room spins around me, and my dry, cracked lips manage to form her name before I succumb once more to the unforgiving darkness, the weight of my actions, and the uncertainty of what comes next weighing heavily on my heart.
“Ella.”
I think I hear her speak, but before I can force myself to see if she’s real, I get dragged back into nothingness.
Chapter 19
Iawake once more,my eyelids heavy as if weighted down by the nightmares that plagued me in my sleep. I blink rapidly, and everything comes into view slowly before they fall shut again. I breathe slowly, happy air isn’t being shoved up my nose anymore.
Get it together, Hunter.
Focus.
This time, when I muster the strength to open them, I’m met with a stark realization that sends my heart into overdrive.
I’m in a hospital bed, that much is clear. But this isn’t any hospital room I’ve ever seen before. There are no windows to offer a glimpse of the outside world, and the dim, muted lighting casts an eerie shadow over everything, enveloping me in a darkness that feels almost oppressive instead of cozy.
Not that hospitals are ever cozy. I should know.
I swallow, shoving that thought away.
My tired eyes slowly scan the room, from the unassuming white door to the ground. The floors gleam with an almost unnatural sheen, but not the usually sterile white you’d expect from a doctor’s office. The walls, stark white like blank canvas’, enclose me in an unfamiliar coldness that seeps into my bones.
Or maybe it’s because I almost died.
I did, right? Or did I just imagine that?
The room lacks the telltale signs of a conventional hospital setting—the absence of professional medical equipment, the sterile precision that I’ve come to associate with life-saving efforts. Instead, it feels more like an at-home setup in someone’s basement.
The thought has me struggling to sit up with a groan.
I have to get the fuck out of here.
“Hunter?” a tiny voice cracks, and my heart goes right along with it. It feels like my head whips to follow the sound, but I can tell I’m moving way slower than intended. Doesn’t matter. She’s always been worth the wait. “Oh my God, Hunter!”
Then, she’s on me, and my body releases a pained sound that pisses me off. Ella immediately shoves herself away, and I grit my teeth. Fuck, I’d kill myself all over if I could. I didn’t want her to leave.
Blinking against the pain that’s steadily spreading across my chest, I meet her eyes, and everything else disappears.
She’s been crying. More than crying if her swollen red cheeks and puffy eyes are anything to go by. She looks fucking wrecked, but still, so damn beautiful.
“Ba-by,” I rasp, the sight of her so sad, breaking my heart. Her mouth opens and closes. Her blue-green eyes go wide at the name, but I don’t take it back. Wouldn’t if I could, which I definitelycan’t, as I spiral into an intense coughing fit.
The heaving coughs rip through the heavy silence in the room. Ella reacts swiftly, her anxious hands reaching for a small green pitcher by the hospital bed. With a shaky grip, she slips one hand under my head, helping me sit up while offering the cup to my lips.
“Slow sips,” her words are barely a whisper. I comply, taking measured sips, my eyes locked on hers, ignoring the pain that burns and aches in my chest. The cool water offers relief to my parched throat, and my coughs finally subside.
After I’ve had enough, she delicately removes the cup, placing it back on the nightstand. Her own hands tremble with uncertainty, her worry and nervousness palpable.
“How long have I been out?” I grunt, licking my lips.
Her eyes flit to a clock on the wall, and her brows crash together. “You went into surgery as soon as you got here, and then you took a while to wake up. It’s been about six hours since…” She breaks off, and I know what she’s referring to.
