“Don’t you dare die on us, you stubborn bastard!” he roars, disappearing through the doors.
I want to follow. Want to burst in there and drag D back from the brink myself. But my feet are rooted to the spot, my body betraying me when I need it most.
Sophia reaches me, wrapping her arms around me tightly. “He’s strong, Wren,” she whispers fiercely. “He’ll pull through. He has to.”
I cling to her, my fingers digging into her arms like she’s the only thing keeping me from falling into the abyss. My voice comes out in a broken whisper, “He doesn’t even know about Alex. He can’t—he can’t die without knowing his son.”
The alarm keeps blaring. Doctors and nurses rush by in a blur. And all I can do is stand here, helpless, praying to a god I don’t believe in to spare the man I love.
Because if D dies, a part of me dies with him. And I don’t know if I’m strong enough to survive that.
75
Dimitri
Fucking darkness. It’s everywhere. Can’t see shit, can’t feel shit. Just this… nothingness.
Then BAM! A voice…
“Don’t you fucking die on me.”
“Don’t youdaredie on me.”
Wren.
That fire in her voice, burning even here in this black pit.
My limbs feel like lead weights, my body a useless hunk of meat. I wanna reach out, grab onto Wren’s words, use ‘em to haul myself back to the world of the living. But I can’t fucking move. Can’t speak. Can’t even manage a goddamn blink. Stuck in this darkness, I’m trapped in my own head, hearing everything but unable to do shit about it.
“He’s not going to fucking die!” another voice rumbles in.Luka, that son of a bitch. Mybrat. MyPakhan. “If he dies, you die with him. You understand me, doc?” Luka’s voice is raw, likehe’s been shouting for hours. “I don’t care if you have to sell your soul to the devil. You keep him alive.”
“Da, Mr. Ivankov,” yet another voice answers, tight with fear. “We’re doing everything we can.”
I try to focus on the voices, but they fade in and out like a bad radio signal. My brain’s scrambled, can’t string two thoughts together. But one thing’s clear: I must be in deep shit for him to be here. Probably flew his ass all the way from Hawaii.Suka!I can’t feel my body, can’t even twitch a fucking finger. It’s like I’m floating in a void, disconnected from everything but these voices.
Wren’s voice again, softer now. Can’t make out the words, but it’s like she’s right here, whispering in my ear.Suka, I need to wake up. Need to see her face. Need to see him.
My son.
The kid’s face flashes in my mind. Wild hair, blue eyes that don’t quit—just like mine. My son. My fucking boy. How the hell did she keep him from me all this time? I want to grab her, shake the truth out of her pretty little head. But mostly… I just want to hold her. Kiss her. Tell her I’m not ready to check out. Not now. Not when I’ve finally got something worth fighting for.
Get up, D. Get the fuck up. For Wren. For your son. For the family you never thought you’d have.
But the darkness… it’s got other plans. It’s pulling me down, deeper and deeper. Like quicksand; the more I struggle, the faster I sink.
I hear machines beeping, voices shouting. Someone’s pounding on my chest. Each hit sends a jolt through me, but it’s distant, like it’s happening to someone else.
“Clear!” a voice shouts.
My body arches up, electricity coursing through me. For a second, just a fucking second, I see a light. Bright as the sun, blinding me. And in that light…
I see her. Wren. She’s holding the kid, both of them reaching out to me. Their faces… Fuck, they’re beautiful. Perfect. Everything I never knew I wanted.
I try to move toward them, but the darkness is back. Clawing at me, dragging me down.
No! Not yet! I’m not done! I’ve got shit to do, people to protect!
I fight it with everything I’ve got. Throwing punches at the void, kicking and screaming in my mind. But it’s like trying to fight smoke. There’s nothing to grab onto, nothing to hit.
