Page 49 of Rhys: and the girl who was always his

The room collectively turns towards her. Ally lets out a soft, miserable sound.

“Ash—”

Ashley crosses her arms. “I saw her have one a few days ago. She made me promise not to say anything.”

I stare at her, then back at Ally. My chest caves in. “You knew?”

“I didn’tknowknow,” Ally whispers, tears slipping down her cheeks. “I thought maybe it was just a one-off. I didn’t want to worry anyone.”

“You passed out. You had dizzy spells. And now this?” Ella says, her voice tight.

“I was scared,” Ally chokes out. “I didn’t want it to be real.”

My hands tighten around hers. “You aren’t fighting this alone, Ally.”

“We’re taking you to the hospital,” Yasmin says, gentle but firm. “No arguments.”

Chase exhales loudly. “Jesus, Ally.”

Arden nods. “We’ll get the car.”

Ally tries protesting again, but she stops when she sees my expression.

She nods. Just once.

Yasmin squeezes her hand. “We’ll all be there.”

Arden claps me on the shoulder as I help Ally up, steadying her when she stumbles.

She leans into me, fragile like I’ve never seen before.

And I hold her like my life depends on it.

Because right now?

It kind of does.

CHAPTERTWENTY

ALLY

I wake to the sound of machines.

A steady, rhythmic beeping pulses through the room, quiet but inescapable. It cuts through the fog of sleep, sharp and sterile, a cruel reminder that I’m not waking up in my own bed, wrapped in warmth and Rhys’s hoodie.

I’m in a hospital.

And I don’t remember how I got here.

Everything feelsoff.

The air is cold, the kind that smells like bleach, and metal and too many unanswered questions. My skin feels clammy. My limbs are heavy. My thoughts are stuck in molasses.

I blink slowly. The ceiling tiles blur, then sharpen. I try to sit up, but my body protests—a deep, dragging ache like I’ve been wrung out and stitched back together wrong.

And then I feel it.

A hand.

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