Chapter 93. Not Just Right Now

Ezra’s POV

The morning sunlight, yellowish, soft, and warm filtered through the hospital windows. My body still ached in various places that I could hardly name, but the worst of the pain had gone. I was alive. I was healing. And more than anything, I was not alone.

Layla was sitting in the chair beside my bed, a little curled up, with a blanket draped over her shoulders. A few strands framed her face, with her hair plaited loosely. She was scrolling through the feeds on her phone, her presence made the room feel… complete. Secure.

“You stayed again,” I whispered.

She looked up. “Of course I did.”

“That wasn’t necessary.”

She shrugged it off. “I wanted to.”

Her simple remark hit me harder than she realized. I had seen people come and go, they rarely lingered.

But she did. Each day, Layla came bringing dinner, coordinating with doctors, and talking to me when I couldn’t sleep. She never looked at me like I was broken. Never treat