The Man I Swore to Hate

"They say there's a thin line between love and hate. No one ever tells you what happens when you cross it." If someone had asked me six months ago what I thought of Alexander Hart, I would have answered without hesitation. I hated him. Not the childish kind of hate that disappears after a few days. I hated the way he could silence an entire room with nothing more than a look. I hated how everyone admired him as if he were untouchable. I hated how he made impossible decisions without letting a single emotion show on his face. Most of all... I hated that meeting him changed the course of my life. Back then, I believed he was the villain in my story. I had no idea he would one day become the man I would fight to save. The rain was relentless. It crashed against the pavement, soaked through my clothes, and blurred the city lights until everything became nothing more than streaks of red, white, and gold. People were shouting around me. Car horns echoed in the distance. Sirens grew louder with every passing second. But none of it mattered. I was on my knees in the middle of the rain, my trembling hands stained with blood that wasn't mine. "Alexander..." My voice cracked as I pressed both palms against the wound in his side. The blood wouldn't stop. No matter how hard I tried... It wouldn't stop. "Please..." I whispered. "Stay with me." His breathing was uneven. Pain flickered across his face before disappearing behind the same calm expression he always wore. Even now. Even like this. He was trying to be strong. His hand searched for mine. I grabbed it immediately. His fingers were cold. Far colder than they should have been. "You shouldn't..." he murmured, his voice barely audible above the rain. "What?" "...be crying." A broken laugh escaped my lips. "You're the one bleeding." His thumb brushed weakly across the back of my hand. It was such a small gesture. So gentle. So painfully familiar. "You always..." he whispered, struggling for breath, "...look beautiful when you cry." "Don't." Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks. "Don't say things like that." His lips curved into the faintest smile. "I never got tired... of telling the truth." My heart shattered. This wasn't the man I met six months ago. The Alexander Hart I first knew had been cold, distant, and impossible to understand. The man holding my hand now... He was vulnerable. Terrified. And somehow... Still trying to comfort me instead of himself. Flashing lights reflected across the wet pavement as paramedics rushed toward us. Someone gently tried to pull me back. "Miss, please move!" "I won't leave him!" "You have to let us help him." "No!" Alexander tightened his grip on my hand with what little strength he had left. "Liv..." Only he called me that. Only him. His blue eyes searched mine, filled with words he no longer had the strength to say. "I..." His voice disappeared into a sharp breath. The paramedics carefully lifted him onto a stretcher, and our hands slipped apart. "No!" I reached for him, but someone caught me before I could follow. All I could do was watch as they rushed him toward the waiting ambulance. The rain washed the blood from my hands. But it couldn't wash away the fear in my heart. Because for the first time since I'd met Alexander Hart... I realized something that terrified me more than losing my job... More than losing my future... More than losing everything I'd worked for. I couldn't lose him. Not now. Not ever. Six months earlier... I walked through the revolving doors of Hart Industries believing it was the first day of my dream career. I never imagined it would also be the day I met the man I would one day swear I could never live without.