Page 73 of Ashes of Us
I stared at the face of the man I'd almost married. The man who'd cheated on me, lied to me, destroyed our entire future.
The man who'd gone into a burning building to save my ex-boyfriend without knowing we'd broken up.
I thought of Jenna too. Of walking into Station 47 with cupcakes and finding him with his hands in her hair, her legs wrapped around him. The way my heart had shattered. The way I'd spent months putting the pieces back together.
I'd hated him for that.Stillhated him for that.
But now he was here. Unconscious, bandaged, having risked his life for someone he thought mattered to me.
Was he different? Or was this just another version of the same man—impulsive, reactive, making grand gestures instead of doing the daily work of being decent?
I didn't know.
I didn't know anything anymore.
"We'll give you a minute," Mr. Sullivan said quietly.
I started to protest, but they were already moving toward the door.
"Just a minute," Mrs. Sullivan said, squeezing my arm as she passed.
Then I was alone with him.
I stood there, listening to the monitors beep, watching his chest rise and fall under the bandages.
"You're an idiot," I whispered. "You could have died in there."
He didn't answer. Just kept breathing, steady and slow.
I wrapped my arms around myself. "This doesn't change anything. You know that, right? You saving Daniel doesn’t… it doesn't undo what you did. Doesn't make us okay."
The monitors beeped.
"But..." I stopped. Swallowed hard. "Thank you. For saving him. Even if you thought… even though you didn't know…”
I couldn't finish the sentence.
I stood there for another moment, then turned toward the door.
I was halfway there when I heard it.
"Piper…”
My heart stopped.
I turned back, pulse hammering in my throat.
He was still lying there, his eyes closed, the monitors still beeping their steady rhythm.
I waited.
Nothing.
His chest rose and fell. The oxygen mask fogged slightly with each breath.
He hadn't woken up. Just... mumbling. Unconscious. Whatever anesthesia dreams people had.
I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.
