Chapter Fifty-Two.

Chapter Fifty-Two.

Annabelle pov

The hospital walls were a cold, sterile white that seemed to suck the warmth out of the air. I sat on an uncomfortable plastic chair, my back stiff from hours of waiting, my mind far from the engagement ceremony preparations that were underway and the constant ringing of my phone.

The sterile smell of disinfectant mixed with the sharp, metallic scent of fear that seemed to permeate the air around us.

Travis sat beside me, his shoulders hunched, staring at the floor as if searching for answers in the speckled tiles. His wife, Samantha, was lying unconscious in the room, and I could feel the guilt radiating off him in waves.

He hadn’t spoken much, but his eyes said everything….. angry at himself, fear for Samantha, confusion about why I was here instead of at home preparing for my engagement.

“Travis, it’s not your fault,” I whispered, my hand reaching out to touch his, but stopping just short. The years we had spent apart hadn’t erased the ins