Samantha's POV
When he finally reached me, I was already barely holding on.
The ground beneath me felt distant, like it no longer belonged to me, but the pain—sharp, brutal, relentless—still carved through every inch of my body. My vision wavered, the world reduced to fragments of movement and noise.
Then—him.
Bootsteps, steady and urgent.
A shadow fell over me before strong arms slid beneath my broken body, lifting me from the dirt. The motion sent a wave of agony through me, but the moment I felt the firmness of his hold… something inside me gave way.
Safe.
For the first time, I felt it.
With trembling fingers, I grabbed onto his arm, clutching with everything I had left. My nails dug into his sleeve, desperate, like a drowning person seizing their last chance to breathe.
"Sa…ve
