Carlos’s P.O.V.

Every second stretched like an eternity, the clocks moving at a turtle’s speed as we waited for Harley's recovery. My eyes were fixed on her heaving chest, her shallow breathing making me afraid for her life. It felt like if I looked away, even for a second, she would disappear from my world like everything else I ever dared to love.

And despite this heavy tension, Grandpa wasn't at peace. He didn't leave this moment to scold me like a strict teacher, asking me the details of the incident over and over again.

When he asked me for the third time to explain how I marked her, I...