Page 5 of When We Collide

My eyes scan the vast expanse of the beach, searching for any sign of life, but I am met with an empty stretch of sand. Not a single soul in sight but me.

Yet, despite the emptiness, this place feels familiar. The crystal-clear ocean, shimmering under the bright sun. The warm breeze caressing my skin.

I know this place. This is my happy place. Where Dean and I spent two incredible weeks together on our honeymoon.

I'm in the Maldives.

A sense of calm washes over me as I take in the beauty and tranquillity of my surroundings. I look down at myself clad in a navy-blue bikini and place my hand on the flat panes of my stomach. No baby bump in sight. I’m not pregnant.

“JJ?” Upon hearing Dean’s voice my heart takes a leap into my throat, and I spin so fast my head takes a moment to catch up.

“Dean…” My heart races as I watch Dean stroll towards me, his strides confident and strong. He looks as handsome as ever, his chiselled features illuminated by the soft glow of the setting sun. His signature panty-melting smile is plastered on his face, making my knees tremble.

“Promise me you'll never stop looking at me like that, Mrs Reyes,” he drawls in his deep, husky voice. The sound sends shivers down my spine.

Dean continues walking along the shore, the waves gently washing over his feet. His hands are casually tucked into the pockets of his black swim shorts while a crisp white cotton shirt blows back in the ocean breeze. It's like a scene from a movie—too perfect to be real.

I can hardly believe it. Is this really happening? Are we still on our honeymoon?Oh God, please let it be real.Please, if I have ever done a good deed worthy of rewarding in my life, please grant me this one wish. I pray silently. Either the past couple of weeks have all just been a horrifying nightmare or I have died and I’m finally with him. Either way, I’m grateful that nightmare is over.

As I take a step in his direction, I feel the coarse texture of sand under my feet and the warm sea water wash over it a second later and smile. If I can feel the sea and the sand, surely I’ll be able to feel him too, right? “And how am I looking at you, Lieutenant?”

Dean smiles and bites his lip as we walk toward each other along the shore. “Like I’m the only one you’ll ever see.”

My heart swells to twice its size inside my chest. “You are and always will be all Iwantto see.” I respond as we finally reach one another. Dean’s muscular arms circle my waist and I look downand almost melt when I feel the strength of them enfold around me. I cup Dean’s face and press my lips to his. An emotion I haven’t felt in so long consumes me. Exhilaration. “I can feel you,” I whisper after we pull back and Dean nods, pressing his forehead to mine with a placid smile when I place my hands against his bare chest.

“I’ve missed you so much, Dean.” I state, tipping my head back to kiss him again. “The pain of losing you and having to go on without you has been unbearable.”

“I know, baby.” Dean replies as he brushes away the tears that roll down my cheeks. “I’m so sorry that I broke my promise to you.”

I shake my head and lift my hands to stroke his handsome face. “It’s over now, right? Please, tell me this is real and I’m not hallucinating or dreaming. Tell me this is it, Dean. Tell me we’re together forever now and I’m not going to suddenly wake up and find you’re gone again.”

“Baby, shh, don’t think about that right now.” Dean asserts as he draws his head back to gaze into my eyes. “We’re together and we don’t have much time, so let’s make it count.” My eyes close briefly and I soak up his touch when Dean affectionately brushes his fingers across my cheek and butterflies take flight in my stomach.

“Wait, what do you mean we don’t have much time?” I question looking up at him again. “Did I… am I…dead?”

Dean shakes his head slowly and gently brushes a strand of my hair away from my face from where the wind has blown it. “No, baby, you’re not dead.”

“I don’t understand. If I’m still alive, why am I here with you? Am I dreaming?”

“You’re under anaesthesia. You’re currently undergoing surgery.”

I frown, “Surgery?” While I stare into the eyes of the man I love, I remember my final lucid moment before everything went dark. “The baby...” I whisper instinctively placing my hand on my flat stomach. “I was bleeding, and the pain...” The thought of the blinding pain ripping through my body makes me wince. “I… I’ve lost it, haven’t I?”

Dean presses his lips to my forehead, and I feel him heave a sigh before he answers. “No, you haven’t lost the baby. You were rushed in for an emergency c-section when you started haemorrhaging. They’re currently delivering our son. He’s just like his mother, a little fighter.”

I draw my head back and blink up at him, a fresh batch of tears filling my eyes again. “Our son?” Dean smiles handsomely and brushes his thumb along my bottom lip, “I was too scared to find out the sex of the baby because I never expected to make it far enough in the pregnancy to deliver it. I’ve been so terrified of losing the last thing I have left of you and everything I have been fearing is happening. But it’s okay because I’m here with you now. We’re together again and this time it’s forever, right?”

Dean's face, once bright with a smile, fades into one of sorrow. His features are etched with pain and his eyes glisten with unshed tears. “JJ?—"

I shake my head, willing myself to put on a brave face despite the overwhelming weight that settles in my chest again. “Don't.” The word comes out as a strained whisper. I place my fingers againsthis lips, silencing him. “Don’t make me go back, Dean,” I plead, desperation etched into my voice. “Don’t make me go back to a life without you. I can’t bare it, especially if all that’s waiting for me is more suffering. I don’t want to go back to a life where I’m forced to pretend I’m okay when someone mentions your name and all I want to do is fall apart. I want to be here with you where there is no pain, and I can finally breathe without it killing me.”

My heart aches at the thought of returning to a world where he is gone, and I am left alone to drown in my grief once again. Dean's hand tightens around my wrist, and he leans in closer, pressing a tender kiss to the tips of my fingers before placing my hand over his heart. “Jeyla, please listen to me,” he pleads, his voice trembling with emotion. “This isn't real. You're not gone, and this isn't the afterlife. You're still very much alive, still breathing. Your heart is still beating. Your mind has created this moment to shield you from the pain and grief you’ve been feeling. But you can’t stay here baby, you have to wake up. Our son needs you. He needs his mother to love him and guide him, you’re his only chance of making it through. I know it feels impossible right now, but you need to find the strength to keep going, for both of us, and more importantly, for our son. Please, Jeyla, you can’t give up, not when you have something so precious to live on for. Promise me that no matter what you will cling onto life with both hands for our baby?”

I shake my head, trying to hold back the relentless sob that threatens to escape my trembling lips. My hands reach up and cup his face gently, fingers tracing the sharp contours of his jawline. I meet his unwavering gaze, emerald eyes shining with a depth that seems even brighter than ever before.

“No, I can't,” I whisper, my voice breaking with emotion.

“Yes, you can, JJ,” Dean insists, his voice firm but filled with tenderness.

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