Chapter 13
A thin ray of light slipped in by the window.
When I woke up, I felt something heavy on top of me.
I opened my eyes–it was Zaiden’s face, way too close.
I checked my phone. 9 a.m.
I shot up from bed.
The sudden movement woke him up, too.
He lazily cracked one eye open and yanked me back into bed with one arm, holding me tight.
“Sleep a bit more.”
I glanced at the bite mark on his arm. My face burned.
“I… I’m gonna be late!”
As soon as he let go, I bolted into the bathroom.
By the time I was done dragging myself out, he was already outside, washed up and fully dressed.
My face still burning, I fumbled for words.
“I’m gonna head out first… You do your thing.”
He was putting on his shoes and glanced at me.
“Let’s go together. We work at the same company.”
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Chapter 13
I walked close to him, and he just pulled me into his coat.
“Hehe, haven’t hugged me in a while, huh?”
“Yeah.” A faint smile played on his lips, though his voice was low.
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I wrapped my arms around his waist, just about to sweet–talk him a bit- then out of nowhere, someone roared from behind.
Then suddenly, I was yanked away by brute force.
We both froze.
I turned–Mike.
He dragged me behind him like a mother hen guarding her chick and glared at Zaiden.
“Zaiden, I’m warning you stay away from my girlfriend or you’ll be sorry!”
Crap.
I’d completely forgotten about him.
Zaiden looked stunned for a second. Then his brows twitched.
“Are you trying to piss me off on purpose?”
I shook my head like crazy, pushed Mike aside, and rushed back to Zaiden’s side.
“Let me introduce you… He is… my stepfather.”
Mike’s eyes went wide. He looked back and forth between the two of us.
Zaiden grabbed my hand, like making a declaration.
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“Well, I used to be her stepfather. Now I’m her boyfriend. And soon, her husband.”
The news hit like a bomb. Mike turned to stone.
After that, I basically stuck to Zaiden like glue.
He bought a big place near the office.
He cooked dinner for me every night.
Once he put on the apron, all my favorite dishes magically appeared.
I gotta say, his “campaign speech” that day had some weight to it–no man out there fits me better than Zaiden.
As for Sonia, she went back.
What happened with my fall hit her hard, but Zaiden signed a letter of forgiveness.
She was diagnosed with depression and spent a year in treatment.
Later, she texted me an apology. She said she shouldn’t have lied.
But my death seemed to leave her with a deep shadow. She didn’t dare face me.
I explained everything to Mike, too. He thought it was wild but… accepted it, more or less.
When the holidays came, we went home.
Seeing my own grave was surreal.
It stood right beside my parents‘.
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The wind howled around us.
I asked Zaiden how he found me.
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He said he started having hallucinations. He’d sit in my room, thinking he saw me walk up to him. But when he reached out, he was just holding my clothes.
“My parents thought I was losing it,” he said. “They took me to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.”
He gently brushed my forehead.
“I prayed for a sign. And somehow, I just knew–you are still alive. So I kept looking.”
I burst into tears.
He kissed them away, one by one. His eyes curved with a soft smile. His voice was unbelievably tender.
“So this time, you’ve gotta grow old with me and watch me become a wrinkly old man.”
