118

Kyle

My breath caught the second those words left his lips. He remembered? No—he heard me? I thought back to that morning, my voice breaking as I begged him not to leave me, promising I would consider his feelings if he just stayed. I had thought he was too deep into the darkness to catch even a whisper of it.

“You… you actually heard me?” I asked softly, my eyes widening in surprise. “But you were unconscious. I didn’t think—”

“I was unconscious,” Hayden admitted, his voice steady, “but I still heard you. Your voice, your words… all of it reached me.”

A sharp ache ran through my chest, and I bit down hard on my lower lip, guilt and relief crashing together inside me. I had spoken those words thinking he’d never remember, that maybe it was just a whisper into the void. But here he was, staring right at me, demanding I keep my word.

“So,” Hayden said, his eyes not leaving mine, “are you going to do as you promised?”

I swallowed hard, forcing my lips to move. “Yeah,” I whispered, my voi