Chapter Forty-Four

Scarlett’s POV

Darkness wraps around me like cold water, thick and heavy, dragging me downward into a quiet void. I float in it for what feels like hours—peaceful, numb, unaware.

Then something warm touches my cheek. A thumb. Dragging lightly. Gently. A voice follows, deep and familiar in a way that hits me in the chest.

“Scarlett… Stay with me. Come on…”

Kieran. My eyes flutter, but the darkness tugs at me again, pulling me under. Somewhere above the surface of ...