CRYSTAL CLEAR

The hospital turned to a war zone.

Screams. Sirens. Nurses sprinting down the hall.

The sharp scent of antiseptic mixed with metal. Blood.

A gurney rattled through the corridor, wheels screeching.

Room 214. Code Blue. Get Dr. Monroe!

I turned and froze at the sight of my mother.

Limp. Pale. Covered in tubes and wires. Oxygen mask trembling with every shallow breath.

“No—”

I ran towards the ER.

A nurse grabbed me. “Miss, you can’t—”

“She’s my mother!” I screamed, trying to wrench free. “What’s happening to her?”

Dr. Monroe appeared his face as hard as stone.

“She’s crashing. We’re taking her into surgery. Now.”

Alicia’s knees buckled. “Please… save her.”

He nodded.

No promises. Just cold urgency as the doors slammed shut behind him.

U was left in the hallway. Alone. Useless. Shaking.

Minutes became hours.

Then finally—

“My mom?” I asked a passing nurse, my voice was barely audible.

“She’s inside,” the nurse said. “Dr. Monroe will speak with you soon.”

I clutched my chest, gasping for air.

I didn’t pray. But right now, I would’ve given anything for a miracle.

The doors creaked open.

Dr. Monroe stepped out.

My heart stopped. “Is she—?”

“She’s stable. For now.”

Relief punched me in the gut.

But then—

“There are two options,” Monroe said, voice grim. “Advanced treatment with high chance of stabilizing her… or prepare yourself to say goodbye.”

“What?” she whispered.

“You either pay,” he said, “or let her go.”

Those words ripped through me like bullets.

“No. I won’t—” Her voice cracked.

“We need half a million. Upfront.”

My vision spun.

“That’s impossible.”

“I’m sorry.” He touched my shoulder gently. “You need to decide. Soon.”

And then he was gone.

Half a million.

I had nothing.

My phone slipped into my trembling hands.

I called everyone. No answer. No money. No hope.

I was alone.

Just acleaner. A nobody. No job could save her now.

I stood in the lobby. And then, my mind whispered it.

Him.

The man with eyes like a storm and a voice that froze blood.

I did it once.

Could I do it again?

How many times would it take?

I wanted to run. Disappear.

But all I could do was stand there, fists clenched around my phone, rain streaking down the windows like silent tears.

     ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞THEODORE∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

She was the last person I expected to see at my door.

But there she stood drenched, shivering, rain-soaked hair clinging to her face. Water dripped from her chin like the storm itself was crying through her.

And yet… she was beautiful.

I didn’t speak.

Neither did she.

She had made her choice. And I? The only thing in my head was how bad I wanted to have her.

“Upstairs,” I said, my voice was as hard as steel “Now.”

She didn’t argue or flinch. She obeyed.

By the time I closed the bedroom door, the storm was hammering against the glass. It was fitting. Nature echoing the chaos inside me.

She stood near the bed. Silent. Still dripping.

Her lips were slightly parted. Her breath uneven.

And I—I wanted to ruin her. Not out of lust. Something deeper and darker.

“Take them off,” I said.

She hesitated. Just for a moment.

Then she moved.

Fingers lifted her shirt. Inch by inch, skin revealed itself like it was daring me to look.

I couldn’t look away.

Not this time.

When the last scrap of clothing hit the floor, my hands found her waist.

She was warm.

Too warm.

She looked up at me with eyes full of exhaustion, not fear.

That was all it took.

My mouth crashed against hers.

There was nothing gentle. No patience. Just need.

I didn’t hold back.

I couldn’t.

My grip bruised. My kisses devoured her lips. Her gasp became mine.

She didn’t fight it. She gave in.

Our bodies collided like fire and gasoline. We tangled. We burned.

But it wasn’t about pleasure.

It was about her face.

I had lived in shadows unable to see anyone. Faces blurred. Features missing.

But with her… when I moved inside her, when she moaned my name—I saw.

The shape of her lips. The slope of her nose. The delicate hollow beneath her collarbone.

I chased those fragments like a man possessed.

The more I fucked her, the clearer she became.

I kept thrusting. Harder. Again. Again.

Until I broke.

We both collapsed in silence.

When I woke up, it was still dark.

Rain clung to the windows. The air was thick with warmth and the scent of her.

Her hair sprawled across the pillow. Her breath soft and even.

I could see it, her face, clear.

Unmoving and real.

The plumpness of her cheeks. The faint curve of her lashes. The way her lips parted slightly in sleep.

She wasn’t a blur. She wasn’t fading. I blinked. Once. Twice.

Still her. Still clear. My chest tightened.

My voice was barely a whisper.

“…Why can I see you?”

She didn’t answer. She didn’t need to.

Because for the first time in my cursed, faceless world...

Someone was real.