Chapter <b>273 </b>
We walked quickly toward the car, the cold night air biting my skin as I held Olivia against me, her hand lifeless in mine. It was like holding a doll, her fingers stiff and unresponsive. Her body felt unnaturally cold, <b>as </b>if the life had been drained out of her. I could feel the chill of her skin through the fabric of my shirt, and my heart ached with every step..
“It’s going to be alright, my love,” I whispered over and over, trying to reassure her, trying to calm the storm inside me. “You are safe now. You are with <b>me</b>.”
I kept repeating the words <b>as </b>if they could <b>heal </b>the wounds she had suffered. As If my voice could somehow bring her back to me, make her whole again.
The car <b>finally </b>came into view, its headlights cutting through the dark like a beacon of hope. Ethan was already at the driver’s side, his attention divided between me and the road ahead. I slid into the backseat, carefully positioning Olivia across myp, her head resting against my chest. I held her close, my arms wrapped protectively around her as if I could shield her from the world that had hurt her.
Her hand was ice cold, and I couldn’t stop myself from pressing it against my cheek, desperate for any sign of life. But there was nothing. She didn’t stir. She didn’t move.
I stroked her arm gently, trying to coax some warmth back into her skin, trying to make her feel alive <b>again</b>. Please, Olivia,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Come back to me. Please.”
My heart ached with every beat, a relentless reminder that she was still so far from me. What had they done to her? What had Xander done?
I pressed my lips to her forehead, the coldness of her skin sending a jolt through me. I couldn’t bear it. The thought of losing her was unbearable.
“She’s going to be alright,” I told myself, as much as I told her. The words tasted empty in my mouth, but I clung to them. I had to believe it. For both our sakes, I had to believe it.
Ethan’s voice broke into my thoughts as he spoke to the doctor on the phone, his words hurried and urgent. I could hear the concern in his tone. It was like the entire world was holding its <b>breath</b><b>, </b>waiting for the confirmation that Olivia would be okay.
The drive felt too long, the distance between the cemetery and the clinic stretching endlessly in my <b>mind</b>. Every minute felt like an eternity, my anxiety rising with each passing second. I kept my eyes on Olivia, praying for some sign, some movement. But she remained still, her breathing shallow but steady.
We finally arrived at the clinic, and the doors were thrown open before we even came to aplete stop. Doctors and nurses rushed out, ready to take Olivia from me, but I hesitated, my arms tightening around her.
“She’s with me,” I said firmly, my voice hoarse. “I’m <b>not </b>letting her go.
The doctors nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation, and they led us
could.
into the clinic as quickly as they
As they took Olivia from my arms andid her <b>down </b>on a stretcher, I stayed close by her side, my heart still lodged in my <b>throat</b>. “You are going to be alright, love. I’m right here,” I whispered, not sure if she could hear me. But I had to say it. I <b>had </b>to keep telling her that she was safe, <b>even </b>when I wasn’t sure myself.
Everything had happened so fast, and now all I could do was wait, praying that when she woke up, it would be in a world where everything was okay. A world where we <b>could </b>start over, where this nightmare would be behind us.
I wasn’t sure if we <b>would </b>ever get there, but I wasn’t giving up. Not now. <b>Not </b>when she <b>was </b>still with me. I couldn’t.