I try to open my eyes.
Nothing happens.
My body feels impossibly far away.
Heavy.
Disconnected.
Panic flickers again—
until I hear him.
“…I’m here.”
Russ.
Even weak and distant, his voice cuts through the dark instantly.
My chest tightens around it.
I try to move toward the sound.
Try to reach for it.
But my body won’t cooperate.
“…don’t leave me…”
The words wrap around me softly.
Not demanding.
Not angry.
Just tired.
Raw.
Images flicker through my head in broken flashes.
The chair.
Blood on the floor.
The room spinning.
Then him.
Standing in the doorway like something out of a dream.
Fury in his eyes.
Relief in mine.
He came.
Of course he came.
