Page 1 of Ignite

Prologue

HALLIE

2 years ago…

Song – Levitate, Sleep Token

The doors to the operating room explode open, and my heart shoots into my throat. One look into Finn’s pale gray eyes and I already know, the second he opens his mouth, the ground will split beneath me.

He doesn’t need to speak. Just a subtle shake of his head. Eyes full of pity.

The sob rips out of me before I can stop it, sharp and strangled. I suck in a breath that goes nowhere, my chest collapsing inward as if something vital’s been torn from it.

I drop to my knees. The floor meets me hard, but I barely feel it. Everything around me blurs as my sobs unravel into wild, choking cries.

“I’m so sorry, Hallie. They tried everything,” Finn whispers beside me.

I swat the words away like they burn. I don’t want them. Don’t need them. This can’t be real.

I bury my face in my hands and let the grief break me open, wide and raw. I see flashes behind my eyelids—me as a little girl in the garage, fingers greasy from helping him with his cars, his laughter echoing around us.

All the times he held my hand when life felt too big, too brutal.

His voice right before surgery, still strong, still him.

“If this is the last time, I need you to know I’m so proud of you, Hallie. I love you so much. Always remember that. You’ve got a bright future ahead of you, I promise.”

My dad’s final words to me.

I’d kissed his cheek and told him to stop being so dramatic and that I’d be right here when he woke up.

I was wrong.

He’s not waking up. He’s not coming back. And now, I’m alone.

I don’t know how long I stay there, folded in on myself like I’m broken. Finn sits beside me in the silence, his hand rubbing soft circles into my back like he can hold me together.

“Come on, let me get you home, Hallie.”

He has to lift me off the floor—my body too heavy, too hollow—and carry me to his Mercedes. The drive home is wrapped in silence. I can’t even see through the tears.

When he pulls up outside the house, I force in a shaky breath.

“Is there someone I can call to be with you? I know how tough this is. But I promise, it will get easier.”

I shake my head. No. I don’t want anyone. Not now. Not even my best friend, Lily. I just want the dark. I want my bed and my dog, Bertie. I want to curl up and cry until nothing’s left.

“I’ll be fine,” I croak.

The second I open the car door, Finn’s there beside me.

“Let’s have a coffee. I can’t leave you like this.”

I nod, just once, it’s all I can manage. He follows me inside.

My father is everywhere. His face on the walls. His scent in the air. His soul in every corner.

“Go sit down, I’ll make the drinks.”

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