Aria’s fingers tightened around the doorknob.
Her heart hammered so loudly she could barely hear her own breathing.
She slowly turned around.
Ethan was awake.
His face looked pale, and the bandage around his shoulder reminded her of the bullet he had taken for her. The machines beside his bed beeped steadily, filling the silence between them.
For what felt like forever, neither of them spoke.
Months of pain…
Months of loneliness…
Months of unanswered questions…
All met in a single glance.
Ethan looked at her as though he was afraid she would disappear if he blinked.
His lips trembled.
“You’re really here…”
Aria swallowed hard.
“I shouldn’t have come.”
“But you did.”
“I only wanted to know if you were alive.”
“You were leaving again.”
Her eyes dropped to the floor.
“I hav
