77

EZRA

I lean back in the chair and close my eyes for a second, even though my thoughts are anything but quiet.

I should leave.

I should put Finn down, walk out that door, and not look back.

She deserves peace. He deserves safety.

Not this mess I’ve dragged them into.

I stand slowly, careful not to wake the boy in my arms. I lay him down on the gray sofa in the corner, pulling the thick blanket over him. He stirs a little, but doesn’t wake.

I flash Thea another look. 

Fuck, she’s beautiful even now.

Like sleeping beauty.

I step closer and crouch beside her bed, my hand finding hers.

Cold. Too cold.

I press my lips to her knuckles, eyes fixed intently on her face. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I never meant for it to get this far.”

Silence.

Then, her fingers twitch.

I freeze.

Her lips part slightly, her brow tightening as her lashes flutter open.

My breath catches in my throat.

“Thea?” I breathe.

Her eyes open—slow, and sluggish as she squints at the ceiling. Then she turns her head to look at me.

At first, she says nothing.

Then—barely above a whisper—“Ezra?”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding as I move closer, my hold on her palm tightening. “I’m here.”

She blinks again. Her voice is dry, scratchy. “What… happened?”

“I…” I hesitate, not knowing how to voice it. “I took too much and… you passed out.”

She looks around, still confused.

“How long has it been?”

“Seven hours.”

She jerks her hand away from mine and sits up, a sharp wince tearing past her throat.

“Where’s Finn?”

I motion to the sofa. “Sleeping. He’s okay.”

Her eyes shift and soften when she sees him curled up under the blanket. Relief washes over her face, and for a second, the storm in her eyes settles.

She turns back to me, a small smile on her face now.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

Two words.

They hit harder than I expect.

She’s thanking me—and I don’t deserve it. Not when I’m the reason she needed saving in the first place.

I nod, forcing myself to stay still when all I want to do is fall to my knees and beg her to yell at me. To scream. To curse. Anything but thank me.

“I’m glad you’re awake,” I say quietly. “The doctor said you just needed rest. You’ll be discharged soon.”

She nods faintly, fingers curling over the blanket.

I hesitate.

“I’ve been thinking…” My throat tightens. “After this… after you leave here, let's put an end to everything. Us. The charade.”

I know words like this hurt the most in hospital beds.

She doesn’t look at me.

But I see the slight tension in her shoulders, her lips pulled up like she thought it was a dream. 

But I continue nonetheless.

“I’ll tell them you resigned after we broke up. You can focus on something else. On Finn. They won’t come after you if I make it clear you’re out.”

I think.

Still, she says nothing.

The silence between us stretches. Heavy and uncomfortable.

I rise to my feet.

She still doesn’t stop me.

But she looks like she wants to. Like there’s something she’s holding back. Something sitting on the edge of her tongue, begging to be said.

I don’t push.

I just take one last look at her, then at the boy asleep on the couch.

And I walk out.

The hallway outside is dim. Warm. Too quiet.

I pause just outside the ward, dragging a hand through my hair.

I barely make it past the first set of doors when I feel the air cackling. Then, I hear a voice beside me.

“You look like shit.”

I don’t have to turn around to know who it is.

“Nice to see you again, Lucien."

He steps out from the shadows, hands shoved deep into his coat pockets.

“You guys just never learn, do you?”