Ash's POV
The SUV hadn't even stopped before Ash was moving.
He shoved the door open, boots slamming onto frozen pavement, the night air slicing into his lungs like knives. But the cold didn't register. Not the sharp bite of the wind, not the sting of snow in his eyes.
Nothing registered.
Not with Opal in his arms.
She was too still. Too cold. Her body felt wrong. Light. Empty. Like she'd already begun slipping through his fingers.
Her silver hair was soaked and tangled, clinging to her face. Her skin—normally flushed with warmth and fire—had turned gray, mottled. Lifeless.
Ash's heart beat like war drums in his ears, loud and panicked. Every step he took felt like it might be the last. Like if he didn't move fast enough, she would vanish.
He didn't slow. Didn't speak.
Didn't breathe.
The hospital doors exploded open like the building itself had been holding its breath.
"My baby—" Lila's scream ripped through the air.
