Chapter 7

Heather’s POV 

“…No.”

The whisper trembled on my lips as my vision slowly blurred. I swallowed hard, refusing to believe what my own body was telling me.

“No…”

Wiping my cheeks, I tried again, using every ounce of strength I had left to move my legs. But they weren’t moving. 

Not even the slightest twitch.

I couldn’t stop the tears that began pooling in my eyes. 

Why? Why wasn’t anything happening?

I reached down with trembling hands, grabbing hold of my thigh.

I could feel it beneath my fingers; I could feel my legs. It was right there. 

So why… why couldn’t I move it?

A shaky breath escaped me. “No…”

This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.

“It’s temporary,” I whispered desperately, more to myself than anyone else. “It has to be…”

I pushed against the mattress again, determined to force myself upright. The moment I did, a sharp pain shot through my back, forcing a cry from my lips.

Was I really paralysed?

Before I could try again, someone gently caught my shoulders. “Easy.”

I looked up, immediately only to find Ryder staring down at me, his proximity causing my heart to race even more.

From the little I had gathered, he seemed to be the most gentle-looking one amongst them, but now his expression had turned serious. 

“Don’t force yourself,” he said calmly. “You’re only going to make your injuries worse.”

“Let go of me.” The words came out weaker than I intended, and I found myself shrinking back into the pillows behind me, like it would help the situation I was in. 

Unfortunately for me, Ryder didn’t let go. Instead, his grip remained careful, almost afraid of hurting me.

I tried to shut it out of my mind, I tried to shut them out of my mind, but the moment Ryan spoke again, I felt triggered. 

“Please,” he said quietly. “You need to calm down.”

“I said let go!” My voice cracked, and I shoved his hands away as best as I could. “I don’t know any of you! I want to go home. Now!”

The words echoed through the room, and I didn’t miss the way pain flashed across Dominic’s face as he looked at me. 

He then took a step forward. “Hea—” he paused, shaking his head lightly. “…Elara.” 

My heart skipped in my chest as I moved back on instinct. 

Dominic seemed to be disturbed by that, correcting himself immediately. “No, listen to me. There’s something you need to—”

“Dominic.” The other guy, whom I still wasn’t sure of, spoke up, his voice cutting through the room. 

“Ugh! What the hell was going on here?!”

My legs weren’t working, and here I was, trapped in a place I’d never seen before, surrounded by complete strangers, and I didn’t even know how to feel about it because the situation was just so ridiculous to me. 

My chest tightened painfully. “No…” I muttered, shaking my head over and over again. “No, no, no…”

Everything was happening too fast, far too fast, that it felt like I was losing my mind. 

“Please…” My voice trembled. “Just stop,” I begged, and surprisingly, even though they had been whispering to themselves just a few seconds ago, they stopped. 

And simply stood there, watching me with those sympathetic expressions that only made everything worse.

“Stop looking at me like that!” I cried, my voice suddenly rising. All three of them stiffened. “I don’t know any of you!”

Tears blurred my vision, and I regretted the fact that I couldn’t just get up and run out of the room.

Ryan inched forward, trying to speak. “Elara, you just need res—”

“I am not Elara!” I spat out, “I don’t fucking know who she is, and I certainly don’t belong here!”

Their whole bodies went taut, my breathing becoming even more ragged, each breath coming quicker than the last.

“I just…” My voice broke. “I just want to go home.”

Ryder took a cautious step forward, choosing his words wisely. “Miss—”

“Don’t!” I practically shouted, flinching away from him. “Don’t come any closer!”

He immediately stopped, lifting both hands slightly in a gesture of surrender. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I don’t care!” I sobbed. “I don’t know you! You keep saying you’re my brothers, and keep acting as if you guys know me, but you don’t!” 

“I have a family!” My voice cracked. “I have a husband!”

Dominic shut his eyes briefly, like he was trying to force himself to stay quiet. “Elara—”

“I said stop calling me that!”

The room immediately fell silent, and for a moment, all that could be heard was the sound of my uneven breathing.

Ryder then slowly turned toward the other two. “This isn’t helping.” His voice was low, but I could still hear him clearly. “She’s having a panic attack. We need to give her space.”

“But—” Dominic began.

“No.” This time Ryder’s tone carried quiet authority. “Right now she doesn’t need answers. She just needs to calm down, and then we’ll sort this out.”

I didn’t want to give their words too much thought. All I really wanted was for them to get the hell out of here. 

The other one, Jeremiah or whatever, studied me for a long moment before giving Dominic a small nod. “He’s right.”

Reluctantly, Dominic took a step back. His eyes lingered on me, filled with emotions I couldn’t understand. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “We’ll leave for now.”

Surprisingly, no one argued after that. Then one by one, they headed toward the door.

Ryder was the last to leave. Before stepping outside, he looked back at me. “If you need anything…” He hesitated. “…just call.”

The door clicked shut, and a calm silence swallowed the room, one that wasn’t going to be interrupted any second now. 

And then, every ounce of strength left my body, a low, broken sob escaping my lips.

I then buried my face in my trembling hands as tears poured freely down my cheeks.

Why?

Why was all of this happening to me?

I thought I had seen it all, but now, my legs? 

A choked cry escaped my throat.

I couldn’t even run anymore.

The thought alone shattered something inside me.

Then another thought struck. So suddenly that my breath caught.

The baby. My baby.

My hands slowly fell into my lap as I remembered the look in Vivienne’s eyes as she explained everything to me.

I squeezed my eyes shut as another sob tore through me.

Please…

Just let my baby be okay.