When the horn sounded twice, it meant that there was an injured person.
Three times means death.
She had heard that before.
When she was twenty-one, she experienced the death of her first husband, only a few months after their physical affair.
The moment life began to roll down an unparalleled slope.
āNo, I do not want to. When you die, w-what will Iā¦ā
She ached, dizzy. Chills ran through her limbs, her stomach rumbled, and even the sound of her breathing felt cut off. Her eyes seemed to flash with black and white at each blink.
It was a glass prison where she had been locked up all her life. She screamed at every side, hoping that someone would help.
āLily.ā
Right. Itās all because of me. As long as Iā¦
It was as if a small worm burrowed into her heart, eating it all.
āLily!ā
A strong voice pierced through her mind.
He grabbed her from the bed and lifted her.
It was bright, and she was awake.
She was sitting on the floor as she fell out of bed.
Both her cheeks were warm thanks to a huge hand that desperately supported her face as if she would break her neck if he let go.
Even though she knew it was just a dream, she couldnāt breathe easily.
She was sweating profusely, gasping for air as if her lungs couldnāt function, practically convulsing. Her body couldnāt stop moving.
She flailed lile a drowning person.
Iām out of breath, ahā¦
He grabbed her wrists quickly and carefully. āLook at me, Lily. Hurry.ā
Is it because itās painful to breathe or something else? I canāt figure it out.
He patted her. āFollow my breathing. Even if itās hard, take it slowā¦ Ā Just try to follow along. Itās fine.ā
He seemed accustomed to calming people with seizures.
Inhale, exhale.
Like she was learning to breathe for the first time.
He was her breath.
Even though it took quite a while, he had no signs of impatience.
As her stiff muscles slowly relaxed, the next thing she felt was the cold.
She felt something wrap around her body. Ā It was the cloak he was wearing.
Supported by his strong arms, she was carried and put down on the bed.
Arms squeezing through the cloakās opening grabbed him involuntarily.
āDonāt let go, I donāt wantā¦ā Even if she looked childish, she couldnāt help it.
The accident that returned to her mind in fragments was screaming at her to not let him leave.
āā¦ā He climbed onto the bed on his knees, supporting her back and thighs.
She was wrapped in his arms like a baby wrapped in a cloth, leaning on the pillow. A large hand grabbed her head and made it rest against his firm chest so that she couldnāt see his expression.
His chest, as hard as carved granite, pounded heavily.
He is alive.
Frightened by the bouncing beat, it only got faster, oddly enough.
Vlad mumbled, āIā¦ā
āYou always make me do this.ā
āHow should youā¦ā The end of his sentence swallowed into himself like a thorn. His broad hand rested on her head and trembled softly. Ā āI am not going to die.ā
Was it something he had chosen to say? The words that came out of his mouth were careful.
No matter how unstable one was, if they were paid a little attention, it was enough to notice.
How good would it have been if she was able to think in her state?
But her heart had long been bruised over the course of her life, to the point where there was no room to recognize the fragile vulnerability that he showed.
She was desperate to run away from all her misfortunes.
āEven if thereās no word from meā¦. You donāt have to worry. Iāll definitely come back alive.ā
Was it because of his low and slow voice or his heat? Her anxiety was now focused on another thing.
Why does madness always corrode the mind without warning?
If she could stop the madness, she would even jump down from a tower.
Unreasonable thoughts loitered in her head.
When a person is driven to the edge of a cliff, the ignorance that one shoved into the closet was bound to explode suddenly.
He got up and released his arm.
His cloak slid down her shoulder, and she finally saw him.