Chapter 243

After Ryan finished writing, his small frame visibly sagged with exhaustion. Cassandra gently coaxed him to lie down, brushing the damp hair from his forehead as he drifted into sleep. She couldn’t bring herself to leave his side. Some fragile part of her soul believed that the moment she stepped away, this thin thread of peace this quiet miracle might vanish, and she’d wake to find it all had been an illusion. He was so light in her arms. Watching him limp, seeing the pain etched across his face with every step it felt like a thousand invisible knives digging into her chest.