Chapter 43

Alex

I woke up screaming—not from a nightmare, but from pain. Real pain. My hand shot to my chest as I gasped for air, my body twisting under the blankets. For a few seconds, I didn’t know where I was—only that something had ripped through me so violently my instincts screamed danger.

Then it hit me: not my pain. His. A tidal wave of emotion crashed over me, freezing every muscle. Regret. Guilt. Rage. Desperation. A soul-shattering grief that burned through my veins.

“Weston…” His name escaped me before I even realized I’d spoken.

The room blurred. Walls vanished. In that terrifying moment, I wasn’t in Pittsburgh anymore—I was inside him. I felt his confusion. His fear. His agony. Memories flooded back like a dam breaking. I felt him remember me… remember us… remember what he had done.

A sob tore from my throat as I pinpointed the exact instant he understood: the woman he’d pushed away, accused, and hurt was the same woman who loved him more than