Thaddeus wanted to pull away, but it was toote. The woman had him locked in a tight embrace, not even giving him a chance to catch his breath, let alone escape.


    "Mhm..." A soft whimper escaped the back of Evadne''s throat.


    Perhaps terrified that this was all a hallucination, she weakly lifted one leg to hook it over his hip, practically trying to anchor her entire being to him for reassurance.


    Their lips and breaths mingled. In the quiet hospital room, the sounds of their ragged breathing and shifting bodies painted a picture of undeniable intimacy. Thaddeus''s hand, pressing into the mattress, initially curled into a rigid fist before his fingers spread wide, the veins on the back of his hand popping. Ultimately, he surrendered willingly. He returned her fervent kiss, hisrge hand sliding to the back of her neck to gently tilt her head up. His dominant presence parted her lips, instinctively drinking in the sweet, intoxicating taste that was hers alone.


    Their intertwined shadows stretched long across the wall, merging perfectly for what felt like an eternity. They had both suppressed their desires and countless longings for far too long. The moment they connected, it was an unstoppable force. It was as if they were trying to burn each other to ashes in a relentless, desperate embrace.


    It wasn''t until a flush crept across Evadne''s cheeks, spreading to the tips of her ears and down her neck, practically draining the oxygen from her lungs, that Thaddeus finally forced himself to break away. A faint, silvery thread lingered between their lips —a physical manifestation of a bond they kept trying to sever, yet could never truly break.


    "I''m not... dreaming, am I?"


    Evadne''s tear-filled eyes stared up into his bloodshot gaze. Her chest heaved slightly. "Thaddeus... you''re really here with me, right? This isn''t a dream?"


    Having her heart broken so many times had left her fragile, paranoid, and hypersensitive. She was terrified of believing it was real, terrified of enduring another crushing disappointment.


    Thaddeus fought to steady his own breathing. He curled his fingers, his voice dropping to a gravelly rasp. "Go to sleep. You''re exhausted. You need to rest."


    "No... I don''t want to sleep! I won''t sleep!"


    Evadne pushed her trembling body up and threw her arms around him in a panic. Scalding tears streamed from the corners of her eyes, sshing heavily onto his broad shoulders, leaving dark, spreading stains on his gray suit jacket. "I won''t sleep... if I sleep, you''ll be gone... If I keep my eyes open, my Thaddeus will stay right here! Please don''t go... Thaddeus... please, please don''t leave me!"


    Her sobs grew more hysterical. She clung to him with the desperate, reckless abandon of a terrified child.


    "Even if it''s a hallucination... or a dream... please, just let itst a little longer..."


    A sharp, agonizing pain seized Thaddeus''s chest. Every tear she shed felt like a branding iron searing a new scar onto his heart. Evadne buried her face in his chest, her body trembling uncontrobly. She inhaled his scent and soaked up his warmth with an almost greedy desperation, like a traveler on the brink of death in a desert who had finally stumbled upon a lush oasis.


    She knew that the current Thaddeus didn''t belong to her anymore.


    So, she was doing everything in her power to cling to this fleeting moment of tenderness. Armed with just this shred of warmth, she could keep fighting for a little while fonger. Otherwise, she genuinely didn''t know how much longer she could walk this path alone.


    "Evadne, it''s not a hallucination. It''s not a dream."


    Thaddeus swallowed hard, fighting the lump in his throat. With red eyes, he slowly raised his arms and stiffly, awkwardly returned her embrace "I''m here. I''m going to stay right here with you. So go to sleep... promise when you wake


    up tomorrow I''ll still


    up


    be here."


    She held onto him for dear life, terrified he would vanish, terrified he was lying. The


    harder she cried, the more her heart physically ached.


    Outside the window, the moonlight was soft and serene.


    Eventually, exhaustion imed Evadne, and she drifted into a deep sleep. But even


    in unconsciousness, her fingers remained tightlyced with his, refusing to let go for even a second.


    In the past, every night they shared a bed, they had slept exactly like this-fingers intertwined, wrapped in each other''s arms. Now, every single second they spent together was a priceless treasure.


    By unspoken agreement, neither mentioned the kiss. Thaddeus couldn''t exin his sudden loss of control, and Evadne was terrified of hearing an answer she couldn''t handle.


    In the early hours of the morning, he quietly slipped out of the room.


    "Mr. Thaddeus!" Gordon rushed forward. "How are you? Did you get a headache tonight?"


    Thaddeus lowered his gaze and shook his head. "No."


    "Did you take your medication?"


    "No. I forgot."


    Gordon''s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "You didn''t take your meds, and your head didn''t hurt?! Holy shit! What is happening?!"


    Prompted by his assistant, Thaddeus finally realized the anomaly.


    Why did that happen? Was his condition actually improving? Was it... because of that kiss?