Chapter 16

As we walked down the hall toward our respective departments, he slowed his pace, his eyes searching mine.

“Amira, are you okay?” he asked, his voice filled with concern.

I forced a smile, but it felt hollow. “I’m fine. Just… shaken up, I guess.”

“I understand. That was… awful.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “But we’ll get through this. Together.”

“Yeah,” I murmured, but my voice lacked conviction. The weight of everything that had happened, and everything that could still happen, was pressing down on me like a ton of bricks.

Ryan stopped walking, turning to face me fully. “Amira, listen to me,” he said, his tone firm but gentle. “We’re going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

It was meant to be reassuring, but it only deepened my fear. How could he make such a promise?

But before I could think of anything , a sudden, sharp sound cut through the air—a loud, crackling noise that echoed down the corridor. Time seemed to slow as I turned my head, my heart skipping a beat.

The sound was followed by a rush of wind, something slicing through the air so close to my neck that I felt the heat of it against my skin. There was no time to react, no time to think. All I could do was stare in shock as the world tilted on its axis.

Ryan’s eyes widened in horror, and then everything happened at once.

A second crack, louder this time, reverberated through the corridor. My mind registered it a split second before I saw the impact, the force of the bullet hitting Ryan square in the chest. His body jerked backward, his face contorting in pain and surprise.

“Ryan!” I screamed, reaching out to him just as he collapsed against the wall, sliding down to the floor.

Panic surged through me, hot and blinding. The corridor around us seemed to blur, the faces of the other staff members morphing into indistinct shapes as they rushed toward us. But all I could see was Ryan—his blood staining the front of his shirt, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps.

I dropped to my knees beside him, my hands trembling as I tried to apply pressure to the wound. But the blood kept coming, warm and sticky between my fingers, and I felt a sickening wave of helplessness wash over me.

“Ryan, stay with me,” I pleaded, my voice breaking. “You’re going to be okay. Just stay with me.”

His eyes, already clouding with pain, found mine. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a choked, gurgling sound that made my heart clench with fear. This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not like this.

“Help! Someone help us!” I screamed, my voice raw with desperation.

I barely registered the chaos around me—the nurses and doctors rushing forward, the security guards shouting orders, the distant sound of people rushing out of the hospital after hearing a gun shot.It all faded into the background, my focus entirely on Ryan and the horrifying realization that I might lose him.

Ryan’s hand reached up, weakly gripping my arm. His lips moved, but no sound came out. I leaned in closer, my heart pounding in my ears.

“Amira,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. “I… love you.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, a final, desperate confession. Tears blurred my vision as I nodded, my voice trembling with emotion.

“I love you too, Ryan. Please, just hang on. You can’t leave me. Not now.”

But even as I spoke, I could see the light in his eyes beginning to fade, his grip on my arm weakening. I couldn’t lose him. Not after everything we’d been through, not when we’d just found each other.