Chapter 177

Harper's POV

Just the faintest crack at first. Then wider.

I don’t let myself wait even a second longer.

“I love you,” I whisper, rushed and breathless, in case he falls asleep again before I can get the words out.

Theo jumps slightly at the sound, his eyes blinking rapidly, and the machines beep louder in response.

Nathan barks a laugh. “Well. There’s a wake-up call if I’ve ever heard one.”

Theo blinks again. His pupils dilate, shifting from dazed confusion to something dangerously familiar. Then he squints, his head tipping slightly toward the sound of the heart monitor beeping like it’s being personally offensive to him.

“What the hell,” he mutters, voice hoarse and cracked, “is that noise? And why does it sound like