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The Space Between Heartbeats

作者: Susil
last update 最終更新日: 2025-06-09 09:37:55

⸻

Chapter Ten: The Space Between Heartbeats

The train station in Briarfield was small and tucked between rows of antique shops. The platform smelled like oil and old pine trees. Elena’s suitcase sat beside her feet, her sketchbook clutched in both hands.

Adrian stood beside her, hands in the pockets of his jacket, trying not to look like he was counting down the seconds.

“Two hours,” she murmured, not looking at him. “Just long enough to regret everything.”

He smiled faintly. “Or long enough to remember why you said yes.”

She swallowed hard. “I’m not good at goodbyes.”

“You’re not saying goodbye.”

She turned to face him. “Aren’t I?”

“No.” His voice was steady. “You’re doing what people who love each other do.”

“Which is?”

“They trust that love doesn’t disappear just because you put miles between it.”

Elena leaned her forehead against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, held her so tightly that for a second, she couldn’t tell where her heartbeat ended and his began.

“Say somethi
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  • Falling between us   What We’re Made Of

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  • Falling between us   The Offer

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  • Falling between us   The Fever

    Chapter Twenty-One: The FeverIt started with a whimper.Lila had been unusually clingy all afternoon, refusing food, turning her head away even from the strawberries she usually devoured. Elena chalked it up to teething. Adrian rubbed her back and said, “Kids have off days too.”But by midnight, her skin was hot to the touch.By two a.m., she was burning up.Elena paced the bedroom with her daughter cradled to her chest, whispering nonsense lullabies while checking her temperature every fifteen minutes. 102. 103. 103.7.“She’s never had a fever this high,” Elena said, her voice thin, cracking.Adrian stood behind her, phone in hand. “Urgent care says bring her in. Now.”Elena didn’t even put on shoes.⸻In the Waiting RoomThe hospital was cold. Sterile. The hum of fluorescent lights overhead made everything feel surreal, like they were underwater.Lila lay limp against Elena’s chest, her tiny body shivering despite the heat radiating off her skin.Adrian was filling out forms when E

  • Falling between us   The Voice That Never Called

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