Chapter 18

Maxwell POV

A surprising laugh barks out of her. “Of course, I’ve seen rain. But it’s been what feels like years since I’ve seen the rain, and it just…it just–”

“It what?”

“It makes me feel alive. It reminds me I am alive.” She shudders but not with coldness, with vibrancy. “It’s like I can feel something real. I can go outside.

I can feel the rain. I can breathe all this air. It’s real. It’s not a dream. I’m loving this.”

My lips spread into a bright smile. “Yeah. It’s real. All of it is real. You’re not a prisoner here, Laura. You are free to do whatever you want. Whatever makes you feel alive.”

Her eyes glitter in my direction, and I suck in a breath.

The way she’s looking at me makes my chest glow with a tender warmth.

“You must be freezing,” I say as I focus on her lips, which are losing color by the second. “Let’s get inside. You don’t want to make yourself sick.”

Laura steps around me, and we walk back towards the kitchen. I hold the door open for her as we step inside. She t