Jasper wanted to pull away, but he was toote. Alyssa clung to him with desperate strength, leaving him no chance to escape. He didn''t even have time to catch his


    breath.


    Soft, broken moans slipped from the back of her throat, fragile as the cries of a helpless kitten.


    Shakily, she lifted her leg and wrapped it around his waist, as though only by anchoring herself to him could she feel secure—perhaps terrified that the man before her would vanish the moment she loosened her hold.


    Their kiss deepened, fierce and unrestrained. The quiet ward filled with nothing but the slick sound of lips meeting and uneven rhythm of their breathing—intimate, breathless sounds that could set hearts racing and cheeks ame.


    Jasper''s hand, braced against the pillow, tightened into a fist. Veins stood out sharply across the back of his hand before his fingers slowly unfurled.


    In the end, he surrendered.


    His hand slid to the back of her neck, as he imed her sweetness and lost himself to it.


    Their shadows merged against the wall, ovepping as one for a long, lingering stretch of time.


    They had restrained their longing for far too long. The moment their lips touched, all restraint copsed. They held each other with reckless intensity, as though determined to burn together in this heat until nothing remained.


    Only when Alyssa''s cheeks, ears, and neck flushed a deep crimson and her breaths grew thin and starved-did Jasper force himself to pull away.


    Even then, a thin, glistening thread lingered between their lips-fragile, stubborn- like their bond. They might appear separated, but what tied them together could never truly be severed.


    "This isn''t a dream... is it?"


    Tears shimmered in Alyssa''s eyes as she gazed into his reddened ones. She sniffled softly. "Jasper... you''re really here, aren''t you? I''m not dreaming... right?"


    After being shattered too many times, she had be cautious, fragile, and fearful. She didn''t dare believe in happiness too easily—afraid it would dissolve and leave her bleeding once more.


    Jasper silently steadied his breathing, his hands curling into fists at his sides.


    "Go back to sleep," he said hoarsely. "You''re very weak. You need rest."


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


    She forced herself upright despite her trembling body and threw her arms around him in panic. Tears soaked into the shoulders of his gray suit.


    "If I fall asleep, you''ll disappear. You''ll be gone.


    "I''ll keep my eyes open so you''ll stay here. Don''t leave, Jasper... Please... don''t


    go."


    Her sobs grew louder, raw and unrestrained, like a child undone by despair.


    "Even if this is a dream... or a hallucination... let itst a little longer..."


    Jasper''s heart twisted painfully. Every tear that fell felt like a brand searing into his chest.


    Alyssa buried her face against him, trembling uncontrobly. She inhaled his warmth, his scent, clinging to him like a wanderer in the desert who had finally found an oasis after endless searching.


    She knew the Jasper before her was no longer truly hers.


    l.ne


    That was precisely why she clung this fleeting tenderness with everything, she had At least this moment could sustain her a little


    longer.


    Otherwise, she wasn''t sure how much further she could walk alone.


    "Alyssa, this isn''t a dream or a hallucination."


    Jasper''s vision blurred. His eyes


    burned red as he slowly, awkwardly wrapped his arms around her. "I''m


    here. It stay right here


    with you


    to sleep. I promise you''ll see me


    when you wake up."


    Go


    She held him even tighter, terrified he might vanish or break his word. The more she


    cried, the more her heart seemed to fracture.


    Moonlight spilled softly through the window.


    Eventually exhaustion imed her


    She drifted into sleep, but even tren remained ckground


    her fingers


    his hand, refusing to release him.


    In the past, whenever they had shared a bed, they would fall asleep like this—


    fingers intertwined, bodies close.


    Now, every second together felt unbearably precious.


    By silent agreement, neither mentioned the kiss.


    Jasper couldn''t exin why he had lost control, and Alyssa feared hearing an answer she wouldn''t survive.


    In the quiet hours before dawn, Jasper slipped out of the ward.


    "Mr. Beckett!"


    Xavier hurried over. "How was it tonight? Did your head hurt?"


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


    "And you didn''t take your medication?"


    "No, I didn''t. It slipped my mind."


    Xavier stared at him, stunned. "You didn''t take your meds, and you didn''t have a


    headache? What the hell is going on?"


    Jasper paused.


    The realization struck him slowly.


    Why had his condition improved? Why had the pain subsided?


    It made no sense.


    Unless...


    Could it have been because of that kiss?