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222. Mind Play...

Author: sammie
last update Last Updated: 2025-04-06 23:55:02

~Ruby's POV~

The antiseptic smell of the hospital was starting to cling to my skin. That mix of alcohol, bleach, and something sterile that never lets you forget where you are.

The steady beeping of the monitors was the only sound in the room, steady like a ticking clock, each one a reminder that this was real.

Helen lay in the bed, her face pale, her leg elevated and wrapped in white bandages, bruises painting her skin in shades of angry violet and fading yellow. She looked so small under the thin sheet.

Too still.

Too quiet.

I sat beside her, a damp cloth in hand, gently wiping the sweat from her forehead, though I wasn’t sure if it was from pain or the leftover adrenaline.

She was stable. That’s what the doctors said. Stable. But it didn’t feel like enough.

"This is all my fault," I whispered, more to myself than anyone. "I shouldn't have left you alone, Helen."

My voice cracked, and I held her hand tightly like I could anchor both of us here in this moment, away from the chaos
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