Page 193 of Devil's Bargain

She nods, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. “Thank you. For your advice and the cupcake.”

I smile softly, even though my heart is heavy with a sadness that I keep locked away inside me. Why it’s seeping through the cracks now is anyone’s guess. “Promise to come back to see me when you’ve found your happy.”

She drops the shredded wrapper on the table and meets my eyes. “I promise!”

* * *

Thunder rolls in the distance as I lie on my bed.

I lean over and slide open the bedside drawer to retrieve my hairbrush. As I root through it, my fingers brush against something velvety. I pull it out, fingering the frayed drawstrings.

“Hey,” he whispers as I blink my eyes open, taking in the white hospital walls, the cannula in my hand, and the sound of the heart rate monitor.

Sunlight streams in through the open blinds.

“Hey.” I try to move but soon remember that I’ve lost the feeling in my legs. I stare at the ceiling while tears trail down from my eyes. “I thought it was a nightmare.”

Ben shakes his head, elbows on knees, eyes trained on the floor. “Unfortunately not.”

I blink as more tears sting my eyes. “I can’t do this, Ben! I’m not strong enough!”

He lifts his head, sweeping his brown eyes over my face. “You are! You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met!”

My lip trembles, and I bring my hands up to my cheeks and wipe away the tears, shaking my head. “You’re wrong!”

He scrunches up his face as if in pain and looks back down at the floor.

“I’ll never walk again.” My voice is weak.

He sniffs, and I know without looking that he’s crying. “You’ll be fine. You have us.”

“Ben?”

He lifts his head, searching my face. He’s so handsome and so kind. He can’t see it himself, but he has a heart of gold.

“Thank you for being here.”

He smiles weakly, reaching out to take my hand, his touch warm and soothing. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else!”

We fall silent, each lost in our own thoughts. The beeps from the heart monitor are loud in the small room.

“I have something for you,” he whispers, digging in his pocket.

I roll my head and give him a questioning look as he holds out a velvet string bag. “What’s that?”

“Don’t freak out!”

I furrow my brow and try to push myself up into a sitting position but I’m too weak, and there are cables everywhere. I lift my head instead, ignoring the ache in my neck as I loosen the string and pour the bag's contents onto the bed.

I stare in disbelief. “What the fuck, Ben?!”

He rubs a hand over his mouth, his knee bouncing.

“What the actual fuck is this?!”

“Steph killed him!”

My eyes widen. I tear my gaze away from the teeth on the bed. “She killed someone? Who?”

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