Cody POV
She looked even more beautiful in the pale morning light. I watched Julia as she lay motionless on the old mattress, her hair fanned out across the pillow, her face soft in sleep. I sat across the small basement room, perched on a rickety wooden chair, savoring the quiet moment before she woke. The air was damp, tinged with the scent of concrete and dust, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was that Julia was finally here, just a few feet away—mine to watch, mine to protect.
I had been so careful getting her here. She’d been so exhausted after her shift, she barely made a sound when I guided her through the back entrance, away from the hospital cameras. Now, for the first time, I could admire her without fear of interruption. The gentle rise and fall of her chest was mesmerizin
