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It was harder for her to breathe, and even harder to see clearly through the haze of tears. She couldn’t think of anything but Adrian.

***

The next night, Sienna walked through the quiet corridors of the hospital, her heart pounding. She knew exactly which room Adrian was in. Her feet moved quickly, almost as if they had a mind of their own, driven by something she couldn't hold back.

She didn’t knock.

She pushed open the door and stepped in.

Adrian was sitting on the bed in a hospital gown. He turned at the sound of the door slamming open, irritation flashing in his eyes, until he saw her.

“Sienna?”

A smile broke across his face, pure and stunned and disbelieving. He moved to get up, but the moment his foot hit the floor, he cried out in pain and collapsed to his knees, clutching his stomach in agony.

Sienna’s heart leaped, and she ran to him, helping him back onto the bed. His hand was pressed to his stomach, and the pain was evident in his expression. His face was pale.

Sienna’s tears welled again, but she forced herself to stay still, to not fall apart. But then she looked at him, and everything shattered again. She threw herself into his arms, burying her face into his neck, her body trembling as her tears soaked his skin.

She pulled away, only slightly.

Adrian stood up slowly, cupping her face with his large hands, his gaze intense and filled with an affection she hadn’t seen in years. His voice was low, almost like a whisper.

“You’re really here,” he murmured, the words holding so much meaning.

“Yes.” She sniffled, wiping her eyes. “I came back. Now you have to get better, alright? Why do you look so worn out?” Her voice cracked again as she examined his pale face. He looked sick, so sick that it made her heart ache.

She looked at his sunken cheeks, his weakened body. In all the years she had known him, she had never seen him like this, and it was tearing her apart.

His fingers trailed down her face and cupped her neck. For a moment, he looked away, his gaze falling to the floor in shame.

“Sienna... I’m very sick,” he admitted, his voice rough. He met her eyes again. “You shouldn’t be here. You should go.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she interrupted him, grabbing his hands and pressing them against her heart. “You need to get better. We’re going to live a life together. I’ll stay by your side until you’re well, and then we’ll start fresh. We’ll forget the past.”

Her voice trembled, and then she finally said what had been buried inside her for so long.

“I love you, Adrian.”

Adrian looked stunned, his eyes widening. "You really love me?" his hand tightened on her neck as he pulled her closer, just a breath away from his body. "You just said it… right? You love me?"

Sienna nodded, a smile appearing on her face at his reaction.

"At first, I didn’t want to be with you. I thought maybe I’d forget you in two years, especially after you said you didn’t want to marry me," she choked, her hands gripping his waist tightly. "I tried to leave you behind. I even went to another country... but even then, no matter what I did, I couldn’t forget you."

She looked into his eyes, and when she saw him breaking—his eyes silently begging her for more—she whispered again, “I love you too much. I can’t be apart from you.”

Adrian pulled her into his arms without a second thought, his lips trailing over her face and neck in a frenzy of kisses. His voice trembled with breathless joy.

"I'm so fucking happy, he whispered between kisses. "You have no idea what I'm feeling right now. My whole life feels complete. Even if I don't live another day, I won't have any regrets. I can die for you. I'd marry you a hundred times over. Hell, I'd marry you every single month if that's what you want. I love you."

She let out a soft laugh as his kisses lit her skin on fire.

"Then live for me. I don’t like being alone," she whispered, her voice cracking through her smile.

He nodded instantly, his eyes locked onto hers before he leaned down again and kissed her deeply, madly, as if he’d been starving for her.

A sudden clearing of a throat snapped them out of their moment.