Elisabeth's POV
The word ripped from my chest like a physical wound. I stumbled forward, my knees buckling as I watched Jefferson collapse to the ground. Everything around me slowed to a nightmare crawl. The carnival sounds faded into white noise, leaving only the thundering of my own heartbeat in my ears.
I crashed down beside him, my hands shaking violently as I searched for his pulse. His wrist felt ice cold under my fingertips, and when I finally found the weak flutter of his heartbeat, relief and terror crashed over me in equal waves.
"Don't you dare leave me," I whispered, my voice breaking as I touched his face. His eyes stared past me, unfocused and glassy. Each breath he took was a struggle, shallow and labored. The dark pool spreading beneath him grew larger with every passing second, soaking into the carnival asphalt like spilled wine.
