My eyes never left her face.
“What happens now?”
He closed his bag before answering.
“We observe her. When water gets in the lungs, symptoms can get worse hours later. The irritation can turn into inflammation, and if that happens, her breathing might become more difficult.”
My stomach twisted as I stared at the blanket rising and falling over her chest. “She could also spike a fever if infection sets in,” he went on. “We’ll check for neurological symptoms—confusion, seizures, severe headaches—anything that might mean her brain lost oxygen for too long.”
The room went quiet besides the weak rhythm of Serenity’s breathing. The doctor adjusted the blanket, then stepped back.
“For now, she’s stable. But she needs to be monitored through the night.”
I nodded numbly, the ache in my chest easing only slightly.
“If she’s stable, I’m taking her home.”
He didn’t argue. He advised me to keep her warm on the way and to call him at the first sign of trouble.
“I’ll call Dr. Kalvin, the Korven family physician. He will be at the villa to monitor her overnight.”
He nodded and stepped away. I called Krash, told him to have the car ready and our private doctor waiting at the villa. When I lifted Serenity into my arms, her head lolled against my shoulder. Her body felt light and limp, so fragile it scared the hell out of me. I held her tight as if the world was trying to pull herfrom me.
“Korven estate?” Krash asked when we made it outside.
“No. The villa. It’s closer. I’m not risking the drive across the city.”
He nodded and drove fast. My arms were locked around Serenity the whole way. I watched her, heart pounding, counting every breath. Every minute stretched into forever.
At the villa, I carried her inside straight to my bedroom, laying her gently on the bed. I stripped her shirt off carefully, not wanting to wake her, and found one of my sweaters to slip over her head. She looked so small, lost in all that fabric.
The doctor arrived soon after. He checked her scalp, her pulse, shone a light in her eyes, tested her reflexes and murmured reassurances as he worked. He repeated everything the Marquette doctor had done and said he’d stay all night to make sure she stayed stable.
“Someone needs to keep her warm. She might shiver tonight.”
“I’ll stay with her. Krash will set you up in one of the other rooms.”
He nodded and left, leaving me alone with my wife.
I sat on the edge of the bed and took Serenity’s hand in mine, the memory of her lifeless body beside the pool flashed through my mind with brutal clarity. The image was so vivid it felt impossible she was here, breathing.
My grip tightened on her fingers, thumb brushing over her knuckles and heart pounding a violent rhythm under my ribs.
“Fuck… I almost lost you,” I whispered. “You’re not leaving me again, baby. You hear me? You’re never allowed to leave me.”
I took a quick shower, cold water biting at my nerves, then slipped back into the bedroom. I settled into the chair across from her with my eyes locked on her face. There was no way I was leaving her side, not even for a second. Almost losing her today made me realize how much time I’d wasted. A whole yearspent hating myself for loving her, forcing distance between us for the sake of a war that didn’t mean anything anymore. None of that mattered now. All that mattered was her and me. The second she woke up, I was going to fix every crack in what we’d broken. I would put her heart back together, make her love me again, just like she did nineteen years ago.
The hours dragged on and exhaustion pulled at me. My eyelids kept slipping shut but I fought it, snapping myself back just to keep my eyes on my wife. In the middle of the night, Serenity started moving in the bed. She tossed, turned, coughed deep in her chest, and muttered something I couldn’t make out. I touched her forehead and she was burning up, hot as fire. Her whole body started shivering. I rushed out and called for the doctor, who came fast and checked her over.
“I’ll give her something to bring the fever down,” he said, pushing an injection into her arm. “But you need to keep her warm. She’s shivering pretty badly. Could be a lung infection, but we won’t know until she wakes up.”
My heart clenched so tight it hurt to breathe. As soon as the doctor left, I stripped off my clothes and hers. He said to keep her warm, and there was no better way than sharing my heat. When we were both naked, I slid under the covers, pulling her close, wrapping her up in my arms.
The feel of her skin against mine did something to me. Just having her heart beating against my chest, rightthere, calmed something wild inside me. I pressed a kiss to her head, then to her forehead, holding her tighter.
“I’m here. I promise I’m never letting you go again. Nothing’s ever gonna happen to you, baby.”
She murmured in her sleep, words I couldn’t decode. When her fingers brushed over my Venus tattoo, I tensed for a second. I knew she was close to recognizing me. When she woke up, if all her memories came back, she’d know I was the one who hadfooled her every night. She’d know I was the man behind the mask. Maybe she’d hate me for it. But honestly, I’d take her hate over the fear I felt tonight. Tonight, I didn’t care about hiding. I just wanted to be myself, Konflict, her husband, the man who loved her deeper than anything.
