Noah stood by Laura’s hospital bed, feeling like the ground had been pulled out from under him. The room was filled with the steady beeping of the heart monitor, but to Noah, it sounded more like a death knell. His heart hammered in his chest as he stared at her, his mind struggling to process what she had just said.
“Who… who are you?” Laura had asked, her eyes blank and confused.
It was a simple question, one that would have been harmless under any other circumstance, but it felt like a knife twisting in his gut. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. The world around him blurred, narrowing down to the sight of Laura’s face—her eyes searching his, devoid of recognition.
Noah had dreamed of this moment so many times in the past few weeks. He had imagined her waking up, her face lightin
