Page 131 of When Hearts Surrender

Sydney’s stiff body at the beach.

Oh God, please. Not again.Bile makes its way up my throat.

“Belle,” I rasp, taking her hand in mine. “Little muse, wake up.Please.”

She doesn’t respond.

I collapse on the chair next to her and bury my face in her palm. She’s still warm. She’s still alive.

The thoughts don’t make me feel any better. The Grim Reaper is still hovering over us in a dark, menacing shadow, and once again, I’m helpless and wracked with guilt.

I did this. I told her I love her. I let her tell me she loves me.

I did this. I’m killing her. The curse. Oh God, the curse.

How could I’ve been so stupid, so selfish? I shouldn’t have told her I love heruntilI broke the curse, if the curse can even be broken. I should’ve left her when Elias suggested.

Wetness drips on to her hand, and I realize they are my tears.

“Belle, please. Please wake up. I-I’m so sorry,” I choke out. My chest feels like it’s being ripped to shreds.Take me instead. Please take me. I’ll do anything.

A hand clamps on my shoulder and I whip my head toward the intruder, the person who dares to distract me from my wife.

“What?” I snarl, my vision blurry.

“The doctor is on the way.” I make out gleaming blond hair and light blue eyes. Charles.

A darker shadow steps up beside him. Steven murmurs, “She’ll be okay, Maxwell. You need to hold yourself together. Stay strong for her. She needs you.”

A knock sounds at the door, and a tall man walks in, his dark eyes assessing before they land on me.

“Mr. Anderson, I’m Dr. Cavanagh, the intensivist on call today.”

“How is she? What happened?” I grip Belle’s hand tightly.

“My colleagues down at the ER found her unconscious outside the entrance. It appears someone dropped her off and sped away.”

“I want all the footage.”

His gaze roves over my face, but he clearly understands who he’s dealing with, and nods. “I’ll have our administration and security team contact you.”

“Is she going to be okay?”

“We’re running tests, but from the CBC panel, it appears her hemoglobin and red blood cell counts are low, which leads us to think anemia. But then her white blood cell counts are high, so that tells me something else is going on. She’s unresponsive, so we’re expanding our tests to include common toxins and other conditions, but the labs will take a few hours to a day to complete.”

“Whatever you need, I’ll get for you. Specialists around the country, donating a fucking wing to this place, just tell me. Save my wife, please.”

My hands shake, the panic digging deeper in my chest as I stare at the man before me. I’ll do anything I can to save Belle.

Dr. Cavanaugh nods. “Until we know more information, she’ll remain here. She’s stable right now. You’re free to stay with her until she wakes up. But no more disturbances on the floor or you’re out, Anderson family or not.”

A muscle pulses in my jaw and I nod.

His eyes soften. “We’ll take care of her. She’s in good hands.”

After the doctor leaves the room, I close my eyes as Charles and Steven settle into the guest chairs.

“Maybe it’s not as bad as you think,” Steven says. “We have to stay positive.”

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