No…

No!

I ran to Emil’s side, fearing the worst. “Emil!” I cried, but he did not respond. Already, blood flowed from his chest like a river. “No… you can’t die on me. You hear me? I’ll never fucking forgive you if you do,” I growled, pressing my hands to his chest and trying to stop the blood from pouring out, but it never stopped.

He wasn’t going to make it.

I needed to get him to a hospital.

Now.

Calling on strength I didn’t even know I had, I managed to get him on his feet, dragging his body out of the building. As soon as I stepped over the threshold and into the night, I collapsed, too exhausted to move another step.

No.

I had to keep going. If I didn’t, he would die. I couldn’t let that happen.

But my body felt like lead, refusing to move.

With tears in my eyes, I managed to scoot a little closer, pulling him into my chest. Maybe I couldn’t save him, but I’d make his final moments as comfortable as possible. “I’m so sorry, Emil…” I sobbed. “I… don’t know what to do…” I ran my fingers through his hair, my cheek pressed against his. He felt so cold.

Had I already lost him?

I was scared to feel for a pulse, so I just held his hand instead. As I did so, I felt something hard in his pocket.

My eyes widened. That was it! Cassandra had taken my phone and destroyed it, but Emil still had his!

Quickly, I pulled it out, my fingers shaking as I called Cruz’s number.

He picked up on the second ring.

“Help,” I croaked before passing out.

* * *

When I woke up, I was lying on a bed, cocooned in a mass of blankets.

Abruptly, I sat up, looking around wide-eyed.

A strong hand pushed me back down. “Shh. You’re going to hurt yourself.” It was Cruz.

“Where is he?” I demanded, growing frantic. There were a million and one things going through my head. Had he made it? Or had I been too late?

“Shh,” he insisted. “He’s fine.”

My shoulders sagged in relief, tears springing to my eyes. “Really?”

“Mhm.” Cruz handed me a tissue, trying his best to comfort me. I appreciated his hand on my back.

“I was so scared…”

“It’s all over now, Cassandra. I promise.”

I looked at him. “What about Roxanne?”

“We have our best team searching for her as we speak,” he said with a smile. “She won’t get away with this.”

I nodded, taking a minute to gather my thoughts. “Where is he?” I asked once more.

“Are you sure you want to see him?” Cruz asked.

“What do you mean? Of course I want to see him. He saved my life.”

“Cassandra, you’re going to have to tell me what happened. Twelve hours ago, we received a signal that his ankle monitor had been deactivated. We tried to get in contact with you, but you went MIA. We assume that things took a turn for the worst, so I’m going to need to know everything that happened.”

I bit the inside of my lip. If I told him the truth, I risked incriminating Emil and getting him into trouble. Despite what he’d done to me, I didn’t want to hurt him any more than he already was. “Do I really need to do this, right this instant?”

“It’s best to do it while it’s still fresh in your mind.”

“Trust me, this isn’t something I’ll soon forget.”

“Consider it protocol then,” Cruz said. “And just as soon as you tell me, I’ll let you see him.”

Still, I hesitated. What was I supposed to say?

In the end, I told the truth as best I could. Hopefully, things would work themselves out, and Cruz would understand. The last thing I wanted to do was make Emil hate me.

I love her.

I heard his voice in my head. I still couldn’t believe it. Was it true? Honestly, I didn’t know. I couldn’t see how. After everything that had happened, I found it difficult to accept that he would love the woman who had turned her back on him. All he’d wanted was someone to love him, and I had let my inhibitions ruin what could have been.

Sigh.

“Alright. That’s it. Can I see him?” I asked.

“Sure, but you’ve gone through a lot. Don’t push yourself too hard. The doctors said you need rest as well.”

I ignored the warning. I was on enough pain medication that I couldn’t feel a thing. Besides, the torture Roxanne had put me through was already a distant memory. All that mattered, at this point, was seeing Emil. I needed to make sure he was okay.

With my heart pounding, I watched as Cruz pulled back the curtain behind him. I hadn’t even realized that I was in a room with someone else.

I gasped, my heart tightening when I saw him. He looked so pale.

How was he okay? He looked like he was dying.

Quickly, I scrambled out of bed and rushed to his side, taking his hand in mine and squeezing it tight, choking back the sobs that threatened to erupt.

This couldn’t be happening. This had to be some sort of sick nightmare.

“Emil…” I whispered.

He didn’t respond.

I looked back at Cruz.

“He’s asleep. He should stay that way for a while. He’s still under the effects of the anesthetics. Don’t worry, he should wake up in a few hours. Why don’t you get some rest in the meantime?” he suggested.

But in that moment, I vowed that I wouldn’t dare leave his side. I locked our fingers together, my thumb caressing the back of his hand. “I love you…” I whispered ever so softly, praying for a miracle.

He would be okay. He would be okay, I kept repeating to myself.

But still, I was terrified.

What if he didn’t make it?