Darkness.
It wasn't empty like sleep. It was thick, suffocating a void pressing down on me until I could no longer tell if I was breathing. I could still hear faint echoes: someone shouting my name, my heartbeat fading, a hand clutching mine desperately before I fell under.
Then, nothing.
No time. No pain. Just silence.
I didn't know how long I was gone before a sound pulled me back. Slow, distant. A heartbeat. Not mine. His.
"Aria…"
Zayden's voice. Broken. Trembling.
The world returned in fragments a ceiling too white, air that smelled faintly of antiseptic, the dull beeping of a monitor. My body felt heavy, my throat dry like sandpaper. I blinked slowly, the light stabbing into my eyes.
"Aria," he said again, closer this time.
I turned my head, the movement weak and sluggish. He was sitting beside the bed, elbows on his knees, his face buried in his hands. His hair was disheveled. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.
"Zayden…"
His head snapped up so fast it startled me. His eyes red, swollen, filled with a mix of relief and torment met mine.
"You're awake."
His voice cracked, and before I could respond, he leaned forward, taking my hand carefully like it might break. His fingers were cold.
"What happened?" I asked, my voice barely audible.
He swallowed hard. "You collapsed. They said your heart stopped for a moment."
My chest tightened at his words. "Then why am I still here?"
His eyes flickered with something he didn't want to say. I already knew. He'd made a deal. He always did.
"You signed it, didn't you?"
He looked away, jaw clenched.
"You shouldn't have," I whispered, tears burning my eyes. "Zayden, that's what he wanted."
"I don't care," he said sharply. Then softer, almost pleading, "I couldn't lose you too."
My lips trembled. "You already lost everything because of me."
He shook his head, grip tightening around my hand. "No, Aria. I lost everything before you. You're the only thing I didn't want to lose."
My chest ached not from the poison, not from the weakness, but from the way his words sank deep. He looked destroyed, like the world had finally broken him and he was trying to hold the pieces together with nothing but desperation.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"The Croix estate. The medical wing."
Of course. His uncle had kept me alive because he needed leverage. Not mercy. Never mercy.
"How long have I been here?"
"Three days."
Three days. Long enough for my body to stop fighting. Long enough for him to sign his soul away.
"Has he been here?" I asked, referring to his uncle.
Zayden's eyes hardened. "He's watching. Waiting. But I won't let him touch you again."
I wanted to believe him. God, I wanted to. But I knew how this world worked power wasn't love. It was control.
"I heard him before," I said slowly. "He said you were naïve. That you'd sign because of me."
Zayden exhaled shakily. "He's right. I did."
"Then he owns you now."
"I don't care about that," he snapped, frustration flickering. "I care about you."
I turned my face away, the tears finally spilling. "You shouldn't."
Silence filled the room again.
He leaned back in his chair, running a hand over his face. "Do you ever stop being good to me?"
"Do you ever stop trying to save me?" I whispered.
He let out a broken laugh not from amusement, but exhaustion. "No. I don't."
I stared at him, memorizing every detail the dark circles under his eyes, the faint tremor in his hands, the sadness that seemed carved into his bones. The boy I hated had become the man I couldn't stop loving, even when everything told me not to.
"Zayden," I said after a long pause, "he'll use me again. You know that, right?"
"I know."
"Then don't stay here. Leave. Before he destroys you too."
He met my gaze. "You think I can live without you?"
"You'll have to."
He stood then, turning away, his back tense. "You sound just like Kairo."
That name hit me like a wave. "What?"
He faced me again, eyes soft but haunted. "Selfless."
The pain in his voice made my heart ache. For a moment, we were both quiet, connected only by shared ghosts.
Then the door creaked open.
A guard entered, eyes downcast, carrying a tray. Zayden immediately stepped in front of me, blocking his path.
"What's that?" he demanded.
"Her medicine, sir."
His hand shot out, taking the tray. He examined the contents, eyes narrowing. "You first."
The guard froze. "Sir?"
"If it's medicine, shouldn't the nurse be in charge?" His voice was calm, but there was an edge beneath it, cold, lethal.
The guard left with the medicine.
My pulse raced as he turned back to me, his expression dark. "They're still trying."
I swallowed. "Zayden...."
He crouched beside me again, his hand cupping my cheek. "I swear I'll get you out. Even if I have to burn this place to the ground."
His voice was steady, but his eyes said something else desperation, love, and the beginning of madness.
"You can't keep setting things on fire" she whispered
He smiled faintly, sad and beautiful. "i can't "
He brushed his thumb across my skin, lingering like he was memorizing me. For a second, I wanted to believe we could still escape this, that love could survive everything it touched.
But deep down, I knew the truth.
We were both already burning.