vorite soup from a restaurant across town. He set it on

this," he said, his voice

lank mask. I didn't want his soup

e," he begged

empty. "Talk about what, Connor? About h

ke that. I was going to come back. The kidn

ed, my voice flat.

o the floor. "It's complicated.

e that once would have brought me

I snapped, my vo

d was on fire. The motion sent a j

. "I know I hurt you. I know I messed up. But you're my w

urgent. "Mr. Jones, you need to come quickly. Miss Cha

didn't

said to me, his voice a m

that he knocked over the container of soup he had brought for me

en at me, then back at the

ust

he room, leaving me with the smell of spi

lips. It was a bi

n the world to him. What a

nurses walked past my ope

them whispered. "Never leaves her side

her asked. "She's been

ous. But Miss Chan... she needs h

last of my illusions. It wasn't just a life d

chest, so intense it took my

get out

on. My assistant, Sara

lright?" she asked, he

I said, my vo

rs said you ne

dropping into the tone I used in the boardroom. The one that

d, but she nodded.

oices. I saw them. He was sitting on the edge of her bed, stroking her hair as she lay with her head in his lap. He leane

cracked, shattered into a

t we had signed when we founded Apex Dynamics. A clau

pain stabbed at my lower abdomen. I clutched the wall

. But not here. N

to get