Chapter 145
Chapter 145
Asher’s POV
+20
The past few weeks had been absolute hell. Between Marcus fighting for his life, the mafia breathing down our necks. But today, for the first time in what felt like forever, there was a sliver of relief. The family decided to visit Marcus together, Mom, Dad, Janine, and me. Luca and Ivy came along too. After everything we’d been through, we barely made it out of the mafia’s grasp, and Marcus… he still hadn’t woken up. But we weren’t giving up.
I walked into the hospital room behind my parents, the familiar beeping of the machines filling the silence. Marcus looked the same, pale, still, barely hanging on. It made my stomach turn every time I saw him like this, knowing there was nothing I could do but wait.
Janine stood by his bedside, her fingers barely grazing his hand. She’d spent the most time here, hardly leaving his side unless someone forced her to. I watched as she sucked in a sharp breath, eyes going wide.
“Did you see that?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
“What?” I stepped closer.
“His finger,” she said, gripping his hand tighter. “It moved.”
Mom let out a shaky gasp, covering her mouth with both hands. Dad was already moving toward the bed, his eyes locked on Marcus’s hand.
“Are you sure?” Dad asked, his voice rough with emotion.
“Yes,” Janine insisted. “I saw it. He moved.”
A rush of something I hadn’t felt in weeks filled my chest. Hope. I turned to Dad, already knowing what he’d say before he said it.
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“Asher, go get the doctor,” he instructed.
I didn’t hesitate. I was out the door in seconds, moving down the hall so fast that I nearly ran into a nurse. It didn’t take long to find the doctor, a middle- aged man with graying hair who had been handling Marcus’s case.
“My brother,” I said, slightly out of breath. “He moved his finger. You need to check on him.”
The doctor didn’t waste any time. He followed me back to the room, stepping in while we all watched him expectantly.
“I need everyone to wait outside while I examine him,” he said, his voice calm but firm.
No one argued. We filed out into the hallway, standing in tense silence as the minutes crawled by.
Janine was the first to speak. “If he’s really waking up, then that means…” She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
“He’s getting better,” Mom said softly.
None of us wanted to say it out loud, as if speaking it would somehow take it away. But for the first time in weeks, it felt like Marcus had a real chance.
After what felt like an eternity, the door finally opened. The doctor stepped out, his expression neutral at first.
“Marcus moving his finger is a very good sign,” he said. “It means he is now in the recovery process. His body is responding, which is what we’ve been hoping for.”
The weight I’d been carrying in my chest for so long cracked just a little. Mom started crying, Dad pulled her into his arms, and Janine was sobbing before the doctor even finished speaking. I let out a breath, rubbing a hand down my face.
“He’s really going to be okay?” I asked, needing to hear it again.
“He’s not out of the woods yet, but this is progress,” the doctor confirmed. “If he keeps responding, there’s a good chance he’ll wake up.”
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13:36 Wodu
Chapter 185
That was though ba
We stayed a little tangas firet watching Munas, letting the rodiel sink in batore heading home
That night, Tay db the bed, my som draped over toy’s ward as the rested bedde me. The room was dim, the only light coming from the small lamp on the nightstand. She hasn’t said much since we got back
1turned my head, watching her “You’re thinking about Marcus,” I said, breaking the silence.
She blinked, then let out a slow breath. “Yeah.”
shifted closer, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “He’s going to be fine, Ivy
“know” the murmured. But 1 could tell she didn’t fully believe it.
tightened my hold on her. “Then why do you still look so worried?”
She hesitated before speaking. “Because I can’t stop blaming myself.”
frowned. “What?”
She turned to face me, her blue eyes clouded with guilt. “If it wasn’t for me, none of this would have happened. Marcus wouldn’t have been shot, you wouldn’t have had to take on the mafia, and Taylor” She cut herself off, shaking her head.
1 reached up, brushing my fingers against her cheek. “Ivy, none of this is your fault.”
She let out a bitter laugh. “You keep saying that.”
“Because it’s true.” I sat up slightly, resting on my elbow so I could look at her properly. “The mafia went after us because I made a wrong call, not because of you. And Marcus, he made his own choices. He knew the risks. He’d do it all over again if it meant keeping us safe.”
Her eyes glistened in the low light, but she didn’t say anything.
“And Taylor?” she asked after a moment. “What happened to her?”
texhaled slowly. “She’s in a secure place.”
Ivy studied me, “So you haven’t dealt with her yet?”
“No,” I admitted. “I was going to, but then everything with the mafia happened, and” I stopped myself, running a hand through my hair. “I’ll handle it soon.”
I could see the conflict on her face. She hated Taylor for what she’d done, but Ivy had never been the type to want bloodshed.
cupped her face, making her look at me. “Don’t think about her,” I said. “She doesn’t matter right now.”
Ivy bit her lip, then sighed, relaxing slightly.
I traced my fingers down her arm, feeling the soft goosebumps rising under my touch. “You know what does matter?”
She raised an eyebrow. “What?”
I smiled, trailing my hand down her side. “You.“/
A small smile played at her lips. “Me?”
I nodded. “I was just thinking about how freaking pretty you are.”
She scoffed. “Asher”
2/3
15:36 Wed, 9 Jul
Chapter 145
49%
+20
“No, I’m serious,” I said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Your eyes, Ivy. Do you even realize how beautiful they are?”
She looked away, but I gently turned her face back toward me. “They remind me of the ocean. Deep, endless, like I could get lost in them and never want to find my way back.”
She let out a soft laugh, her cheeks turning pink. “That’s so cheesy.”
“I mean it,” I murmured. “And your smile?” I ran my thumb over her bottom lip. “It lights up my entire damn day.”
Her breath hitched slightly.
“I love every inch of you,” I continued, my voice quieter now. “Your laugh, the way you wrinkle your nose when you’re thinking too hard, the way you always try to act tough but still melt when I hold you like this.”
I tightened my grip around her, pulling her closer.
“I love you, Ivy,” I whispered. “Not just in this life. In the next one, and the one after that. Forever.”
Her eyes softened, her fingers threading through my hair. “I love you too, Asher.”
I leaned in, capturing her lips in a slow, deep kiss. She sighed against me, her body molding into mine, and for the first time in weeks, I felt like everything was exactly where it was supposed to be.
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