Lyra's POVI stood there frozen as Alice’s words echoed in my mind, each one cutting deeper than the last. The air in the hospital room felt suffocating, thick with tension and fear. I could barely breathe, and my thoughts were spinning in a whirlwind of guilt, confusion, and sorrow. James lay there, still as stone, while the machines beeped rhythmically, a cruel reminder that his life now hung by a thread.I glanced at James one last time, feeling a pang of regret that burned deep inside. But before I could say anything, Alice stormed back into the room, her eyes flashing with anger, her voice cold and unyielding."You," she snarled, pointing a trembling finger at me. "Get out. I don’t ever want to see you near my brother again."I blinked in shock, taking a step back. "Alice, I""Leave!" she screamed, her voice filled with fury. "You’ve done enough damage, Lyra. My brother is in this state because of you. If you have any shred of decency left, you’ll leave this hospital and never co
Lyra’s POV“No, Kurtis, I’m not leaving. I can’t,” I said, my voice firm even as my heart twisted in knots. The sterile hospital hallway felt suffocating, the fluorescent lights harsh against the anxiety gnawing at me. I couldn’t focus on anything except James, lying unconscious in that bed. The man who had once been a huge part of my life was now on the brink of death, and I couldn’t just walk away.Kurtis turned to me, his eyes narrowing as frustration and jealousy flickered across his face. “What do you mean, you “can’t” leave?” His voice was low, tight, like he was trying to keep his anger from spilling over. He took a step closer, towering over me, his presence both comforting and intimidating. “You’re staying here… for “him”?”His words were a dagger, sharp and cutting. I flinched, but I didn’t back down. “James is my friend,” I said softly, though my heart was pounding now. “I can’t just walk away when he’s lying there, fighting for his life. I need to know he’s going to be oka
Lyra’s POVI stood frozen, watching Kurtis walk away, each step he took like a knife to my heart. My legs felt like lead; I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. The sound of his footsteps echoing down the hallway grew fainter, and with it, my hope crumbled. Tears welled up in my eyes, spilling over as I collapsed onto the cold, hard hospital bench.My body trembled with sobs, my breath catching in my throat as the weight of everything crashed down on me. I tried to wipe the tears away, but they kept coming, unstoppable like a storm that had been building for far too long. Why was everything falling apart?I stared at the ring on my finger, the small, delicate band that Kurtis had given me, a promise of forever. It sparkled under the hospital’s harsh lights, mocking me with memories of the life we had started to build. I remember the night he gave it to me, how we’d laughed, tangled in each other’s arms, so full of love and hope for the future. Now, it all seemed like a distant dream.Jame
Lyra's POVI sat in the cold, sterile hospital reception, twisting my hands together anxiously. The events of the day replayed in my mind like a broken record, each moment more surreal than the last. My wedding was supposed to be happening right now, but instead, I was here, waiting to see the man who almost died trying to stop it.The nurse's words echoed in my head: “James is awake. He’s asking for you." I knew this would be difficult, but deep down, I also knew it was something I couldn’t avoid. Not anymore. We had to face this head-on.I sighed deeply as the doctor appeared, motioning for me to follow. My feet felt heavy, each step toward his room weighed down by memories of a time I thought would never end. But it did. And now I had to make him understand that.As we reached the door to James’s hospital room, Alice, his mother, was there. She stood like a gatekeeper, her posture stiff and her face pinched with anger. The moment her eyes landed on me, they hardened."You’ve got so
As I sat on the cold couch in Kurtis Office, tears streamed down my face, blurring everything around me. My heart felt as though it was shattering into a thousand pieces, and I could barely breathe through the sobs that racked my body. How had it come to this? Kurtis had just walked away from me, and the door slammed behind him like the final nail in the coffin of what we had shared.I replayed the conversation in my mind, over and over, trying to make sense of how it had gone so wrong."Kurtis, I love you. I love you unconditionally," I had pleaded, my voice breaking with emotion.But he didn’t believe me. His words echoed in my mind, haunting me. "If you love me unconditionally, then why are you still so hung up on James? Why are you prioritizing him over our relationship?""I’m not prioritizing James," I had insisted. "He was my friend before anything else. And just because I’m checking on him now doesn’t mean I still have feelings for him. He almost died, Kurtis. I was only at the
Lyra’s POVI couldn’t stop shaking, even as I wiped the tears from my face. My heart still raced, and my mind wouldn’t stop playing Kurtis’s words over and over. How did we even get here? Just days ago, everything seemed so perfect, so solid. Now it felt like the ground beneath me was crumbling.I had to do something. I couldn’t lose him, not like this. Not to a stupid misunderstanding. I grabbed my phone, scrolling through our messages, scanning all the sweet words we used to say to each other. “Baby girl,” “my love,” “forever mine.” My chest tightened. I wasn’t ready to let go of what we had. I couldn’t. I found his number and pressed call, my hands trembling so badly I almost dropped the phone.It rang once. Twice. Then his deep voice answered, colder than I’d ever heard before. “What do you want, Lyra?”The coldness in his tone knocked the breath out of me. This was the same man who used to call me his everything, who held me like I was his entire world. Now, it was as if I was n
**Lyra’s POV**“You ruined my son’s life.”Kurtis's Father's voice was sharp, like a knife slicing through the tense air. I stood frozen in the doorway, my heart pounding in my chest as his words landed like blows. His eyes, cold and unforgiving, bore into me as if I were the cause of all the pain in his family.“I… I didn’t,” I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper. “I never wanted any of this to happen.”He scoffed, stepping forward, his presence towering over me. “Never wanted? Then why did you let it happen, Lyra? Why did you keep running back to James?”“I didn’t run back to him,” I protested, my hands shaking at my sides. “He was my past. I thought we’d moved on. I thought”“You thought wrong,” he cut me off, his voice growing harsher. “You kept him around, and now my son is suffering because of it. You invited scandal into our lives, into our family. The entire world saw what happened at your wedding. Our reputation, our standing, it’s all gone, all because of you and that
Lyra's POV“You’ll stay here. My home is your home now,” Kurtis’s aunt, Amanda, said firmly, her eyes blazing with fierce determination. The warmth in her voice caught me off guard as I sat on the edge of the sofa, clutching a tissue to my tear-streaked face. After the confrontation with Kurtis’s father, Amanda had taken me in without hesitation, insisting I was family now, despite everything.I glanced up at her, my voice trembling. “I can’t impose. You’ve already done so much.”Amanda waved off my words, pulling me into a soft embrace. “Nonsense. You’re not imposing. You belong here, Lyra, and we won’t let anyone push you away.”For a moment, I let myself relax in her embrace, the motherly affection seeping into my bones. It was strange, comforting, even. I hadn’t felt like I truly belonged anywhere in a long time.But the peace didn’t last long. Just as Amanda released me, her daughter Sophie came bounding down the stairs, dressed for school in her uniform. Her face was a mixture o