I was lost in a fog. The notion of direction alluded me. One second I was up, and the next I was down, just floating through space.

At times, I tried to figure out what was going on, but my head was so light and airy that it was like it didn’t even exist. The only thing that kept me whole was this dull pain in my chest that radiated to every part of my body.

What had happened?

It felt like I had been run over my 16-wheeler.

Maybe I had. I couldn’t remember.

At some point, I could hear muffled voices. They all sounded frantic, talking in hushed tones like they spoke some great big secret no one else could know. I tried to decipher their words, but it was impossible.

So I continued to float, enjoying the weightlessness of my body.

Somehow, I seemed to get lighter and lighter. It felt like at some point, I would just disappear into nothingness.

Maybe it would be for the best.

When had I ever mattered? Even when I’d tried, I had always failed. The world was better off without me.

But before I could vanish, something tethered me down. A strong tug that started at my hand and pulled me toward some unknown destination.

The warmth seeped up my arm before settling into my chest, wrapping around my heart and piecing it back together. The fragments fused seamlessly as if nothing had happened. I smiled.

It was her.

Cassandra.

* * *

With a sharp intake of air, I woke up. I was blinded by the bright light, squinting against it and trying to get my vision to adjust. As I waited, everything came rushing back. I relived everything in painstaking detail.

“Emil…?” Cassandra’s voice sounded angelic.

I turned my head in her direction and smiled.

Suddenly, she lurched forward, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug.

I gasped, pain shooting through my chest as if someone had driven a red-hot dagger straight to the heart.

“Shit. Sorry. Are you okay?” Cassandra pulled away, her eyes painted with fear and concern. “Please tell me you’re okay…” She was already searching for the panic button when I pulled her toward me.

Our lips collided, and I melted into her sweetness, the pain fading in an instant. I kept kissing her, addicted. Despite my arm feeling like it weighed a million pounds, I lifted my hand, tangling my fingers in her hair, feeling like if I ever let her go, she would disappear right before my eyes.

I would never let that happen again. I had almost lost her once, and I’d be a fool to make the same mistake twice.

Eventually, we pulled away, our chests burning with the need for air. “Cassandra…” I started to speak, my heart beating fast. Our eyes locked, our noses and foreheads touching. In that moment, it felt like time had halted to a snail’s pace. I wet my lip, preparing myself, but the worlds felt like boulders in my throat.

What if she didn’t feel the same way?

What if I was making a mistake?

Still, I had to tell her.

“I love you…” I whispered.

For a moment, nothing happened, but then a bright smile flashed across her face. “I love you, too.”

My eyes widened. “Really?” I couldn’t believe it. I had expected a slap on the face.

She nodded. “And I’m sorry.”

I furrowed my brow in confusion. “Why are you sorry?”

“I treated you like trash. You didn’t deserve that.”

“You were just being cautious.”

“Maybe. But I should have just listened to my heart. If I had, we wouldn’t be in this mess.” She seemed like she was going to start on a rant, so I leaned forward and kissed her ever so gently.

This time, when we pulled away, she smiled. She was glowing, her cheeks pink and adorable.

Then, all of a sudden came the slap I had expected.

“Fuck. What the hell was that for?” I rubbed my cheek, groaning in pain.

“For selling me to some sadistic freak. Don’t you ever do that again.”

I frowned. “I’m sorry… I don’t know how you’ll ever forgive me for that.”

“Will you promise never to run away from me again?” she whispered, taking my hand and squeezing it tight.

“I promise,” I answered without hesitation. “I just felt so… trapped.”

“I know,” she said with a nod. “I’m not saying I would have done the same thing, but I can kind of see where you were coming from.”

“So… you forgive me?”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Cassandra laughed. “You did almost get me killed. You’re going to have to do quite a bit to make it up to me.”

“Rescuing you doesn’t count?”

“Not when you were the one who started the whole thing.”

I sighed. “You’re going to hold this over my head, aren’t you?”

“Yup.”

“Maybe I should have just died…”

She frowned. “Don’t say that. Please.”

The look on her face broke my heart. I knew, in that moment, that she really did care about me. “I’m sorry. It was just a joke.”

“Good because you’re stuck with me for the next three months while you recover.”

“Huh?”

“VanGuard wanted to put you in an assisted living situation, but I said I would take care of you myself.”

I smirked. “So, you’re going to be my nurse?”

“Pretty much.”

“Does that mean I get to see you in a sexy nurse’s costume?”

She punched my arm.

“Ouch!” I griped.

“You had better behave.”

“Oh, come on, you’d look sexy as hell in a short skirt and tight blouse, with one of those cute little caps on your head.”

“Well, keep dreaming because in your condition, you won’t be fucking anything for a while.”

I groaned. “Really?”

“Yup, that’s what the doctor said.”

“Well… can’t we break the rules or something? I don’t know if I can wait that long for you.”

“Don’t worry. It’s only three months.”

“Only? That’s an eternity!”

She just laughed.