Aiden’s POV
The second I heard Cheryl’s sharp gasp through the phone, my entire body locked up.
Then came the sickening sound of metal screeching, glass shattering, and tires skidding against pavement.
A crash.
A full-blown car crash.
“Cheryl?” My voice came out sharp, urgent. “Cheryl, what the f**k just happened?”
Silence.
A deep, ringing silence that made my stomach drop.
I pressed the phone tighter against my ear, straining to hear anything—her breathing, her voice, anything—but all I could pick up was the distant click click click of a cooling engine.
No. No, no, NO.
“Cheryl!” I barked, my heart hammering.
Then—finally—a faint, ragged breath.
“...Aiden.”
It was barely a whisper, weak and strained, but it was there.
I exhaled sharply, gripping the phone tighter. “I’m here,
