The moment Victoria collapsed in the kitchen, something broke inside Nathaniel.Not his composure—he held onto that with white-knuckled desperation, dialing 911, barking orders, carrying her limp body to the door. But somewhere deeper, in the place where his love for her lived, a crack formed that he wasn't sure would ever fully heal.He had failed to protect her. Again.The ambulance couldn't arrive fast enough. Nathaniel sat on the floor of the kitchen, Victoria's head in his lap, her face the color of parchment. He talked to her—nonsense, mostly, words he didn't remember later. Stay with me. You're going to be okay. I love you. Please, God, don't take her.He hadn't prayed since he was a child, kneeling beside his bed while his mother recited rote memorizations. But now he prayed—fervently, desperately, bargaining with a God he wasn't sure he believed in.Take anything. Take everything. Just leave her.The paramedics arrived in what felt like both an eternity and an instant. They a
Last Updated : 2026-05-29 Read more