Chapter 94. Is He There?

Lila’s POV

The hospital room was no more than a clean white box and a quiet terror. Everything smelled so sharp and chemical, a smell I recognized all too well from a life of checkups and flare-ups. I was still really sick and hiding, but the doctors were pretty sure that they had it contained this time.

Still, as I lay there in the bed, watching the blue flicker of the monitor, I felt vulnerable and exhausted. My body was delicate, my mind a whirlwind of Ryder’s note, Salome’s bizarre confession, and the sickening notion that my love was powerful enough to do that kind of damage to him. My mom had just gone out to the nurse’s station, and to buy a disgusting coffee.

The moment the door clicked shut, the silence within the room ballooned into emptiness and consumed me. I shut my eyes, trying to recall the sound of his voice, the feel of his strong arms, anything to hold back the terror that was taking root in my chest. He’s gone. He’s not coming back unless