Page 132 of Code of Heart

He wasn’t leaving her side. Not now. Not ever.

And when he got the chance, he would tear up those divorce papers himself. This marriage wasn’t over.

After what felt like the longest ambulance ride of his life, they arrived at the hospital. Staff immediately rushed her into testing, assessing the damage. She didn’t wake up through any of it.

Much like Kyle, Selene had also been unconscious when the paramedics arrived, her bloodied face unrecognizable. As soon as she recovered enough, she would be taken into custody.

Levi silently thanked every higher power that the doctors ruled out any head trauma. Her unconsciousness was due to shock and exhaustion, something she was becoming too acquainted with lately.

He refused to leave and stayed at her bedside for hours, keeping everyone updated after every test and conversation with the medical staff. He didn’t care about sleep. He didn’t care about food. He only cared about her and being there when she finally opened her eyes.

While he sat with her, the police finished their investigation. No longer considered a crime scene, Ivy and Grace headed to her house to clean up what was left of the nightmare, while Owen and Isaac gathered Levi’s things.

They were moving him back into that house—their house—where he belonged. Even if he had to sleep on the couch, he didn’t care. He was going home, and he was taking care of his wife.

CHAPTER 54

Aurelia

A blinding white light pierced through the pounding in Aurelia’s head as she cracked her eyes open.

It took a moment to register where she was…a hospital bed. Again. Stark white walls slowly came into focus with the soft, rhythmic beep of monitors filling the background.

How did I end up back here?

Muffled voices drifted from directly outside her door, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. She tried to sit up, craning her neck toward the sound, only for blinding pain to tear through her ribs. A sharp cry escaped her lips before she could stop it.

The voices outside her room went silent. The door swung open a second later, and Levi rushed in with a doctor close behind.

He was at her side in an instant, his emerald eyes scanning every inch of her as if he needed to make sure she was still whole—and stillthere. When his gaze met hers, she saw everything he was feeling written plainly across his face: worry, relief, guilt, and fear.

He didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. It was all there in his eyes. And then it all came flooding back, the images of Selene, the knife, and the blood—so much blood—threatening to overtake her.

Her body trembled as the memories crashed over her, and hot tears spilled down her cheeks. Without a word, Aurelia reached for him.

Levi swallowed hard and took her hand in his, his thumb gently tracing over her knuckles, his eyes locked on hers like he couldn’t bear to look away.

He was here, and for the first time in days, she felt like she could finally breathe.

For the first time in days, she didn’tfeelalone.

Aurelia was discharged several hours later, after yet another round of exhausting interviews with the police about the attack.

Levi drove her home in silence. She didn’t have the energy or the right mindset for conversation anyway. The pain medication they’d given her before she left the hospital left her groggy and emotionally exposed.

By the time they reached the house, the first light of dawn had begun to creep across the sky, as if the night itself were trying to erase all evidence of what had happened. Levi helped her inside with the gentlest of touches, settling her into their bed. She fell into a heavy, drug-induced sleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

When she awoke, it was late afternoon, and the house was quiet. After slowly meandering out of the bedroom, she was surprised to find Levi was still there, sleeping on the couch. At some point, he had changed into lounge clothes, though she had no idea where they’d come from, considering he had moved out as she requested.

He looked utterly spent, lips slightly parted as his chest rose and fell with deep, even breaths.

His thick lashes fanned across the dark circles under his eyes, telling her how little sleep he had gotten in the last few days. His usually neat hair was a mess, fanned across the pillow in waves, as if his hands had spent the night running through it in worry.

Aurelia let herself study him. The way his face looked peaceful in sleep, even as the weight of everything he carried etched lines across his features.

She was so lost in thought that she startled when a deep, gravelly voice cut through the quiet.

“Despite the overwhelming satisfaction of my wife ogling me in my sleep,” Levi murmured, lips curving faintly into a smirk, “nature’s calling. And I’d hate to ruin this moment by pissing my pants.”