ERIC’S POV

I drew in a sharp breath and forced myself to move forward, step by step, until I was standing at the edge of the bed, mere inches apart from him. His eyes were closed peacefully, like those of someone who had drifted into an eternal slumber.

My eyes roamed his face, desperately searching for traces of myself in him—the shape of his nose, the line of his jaw, the faint furrow of his brows. But it was hard to notice all that with him lying lifeless before me.

It was hard to accept but the truth was undeniable, the reality crashing down on me like a ton of...