Page 17 of Fallen Empire
I swallowed hard, voice tight with guilt and something deeper, something helpless.
“Your mother helped save thousands of innocent lives over the years. She funneled intel. Helped us rescue hundreds of women and children. She went toe-to-toe with monsters, and she never flinched.”
My voice broke slightly as I continued.
“She was the strongest woman I’d ever known… until you walked through my door.”
A beat passed. Then another.
“You don’t even know what you did that day. When you decided to put my life before yours, you didn’t just save me. You saved every life Bruce would’ve taken after. Every child and woman he would’ve sold. Or worse. You stopped a war in its tracks—and you didn’t even think twice.”
My hand gripped hers a little tighter.
“You’re stronger than me. Than all of us. But that doesn’t mean you get to carry it alone. That doesn’t mean you get to take the hit while the rest of us fall apart.”
I exhaled a breath that sounded more like a confession than a release.
“I’m supposed to be the protector. That’s what I do. That’s who I am. And you—you took that away from me. You didn’t even give me the chance to stop it.”
I leaned forward again, my forehead gently brushing the back of her hand. I kissed it gently. Lingering.
“But I love you for it anyway,” I whispered. “Even when I hate that you did it.”
Silence wrapped around us again, thick with grief and love and unspoken promises.
“I’m here now,” I said. “And I’m not going anywhere. No more secrets. No more walls. When you wake up, because I know you will, I’ll tell you everything. I’ll give you everything.”
My lips brushed her knuckles one more time.
“I love you, Savannah. So damn much. Please… just come back.”
I hoped the conviction in my voice was enough to wake something inside of her. God knows I’d questioned everything over the past four days.
Whether she hated me.
Whether she’d meant the things she said the night she walked away—right before Bruce took her. She’d just needed space she’d said.
But then, on her last breath, she’d said my name.
That was love.
Not vengeance. Not obligation.
It was her last thought before the dark pulled her under.
And no matter how much I’d failed her before, that meant everything.
I held her hand tighter, letting the weight of it settle deep in my chest.
I could make this right.
I would.
Chapter 5
Millie
The city should’ve felt familiar. Safe. The skyline alone used to calm my nerves—like knowing exactly where I was meant everything was okay.
