Zayden
Every morning now, I wake before her. I stare at her face and trace her knuckles with my fingertips like I'm memorizing her in pieces.
Because I am.
Because time is no longer on our side.
She stirred against me on the couch, one leg still tangled over mine, her lips brushing my collarbone. The fire we lit last night had died down to embers—but the way she made me feel burned even hotter.
I pressed a soft kiss to her temple. "You okay?"
She nodded, sleep-heavy. "You make it easier to breathe."
I smiled, though my chest ached. "We're doing everything you want. Name it, and we go."
Her eyes sparkled. "Then let's go to the Northern cabin. Let's take books, cook together, dance in socks… like the world doesn't exist."
I nodded, already planning it. "Then the world doesn't exist. Only us."
But fate was already writing another plan.
---
Noah
I found him at the hospital pharmacy.
"Zayden," I called. He turned, cautious. I stepped closer. "You love her?"
His jaw tensed. "More than my own f*cking life."
"Then keep her safe. Someone tampered with her meds. Dr. Amara ran a test behind Elena's back. One of her prescriptions was replaced with a fake."
Zayden's fists clenched at his sides. "Who?"
"I don't know yet. But someone wanted her weaker."
He froze, mind racing. "Celeste."
---
Celeste
Zayden was slipping away from her.
But Elena? She was a ghost on borrowed time. Celeste just needed to… nudge fate.
She created a fake meeting email for Elena from a startup Zayden had been scouting. A "brand collaboration opportunity." 9 PM. Downtown office. High-rise building.
What Elena didn't know was that the elevators on that floor had been rigged.
Once the door closed—she wouldn't get out.
---
Elena
Zayden was out for a late client dinner. I didn't want to worry him. I just wanted to surprise him with a chance to collaborate on a project. Something that made him proud.
I walked into the building. Everything was… oddly quiet.
The elevator opened. I stepped inside.
The moment the doors closed, the lights flickered—and stopped.
A deep mechanical clunk echoed.
Then nothing.
No buttons worked.
My chest tightened.
"Hello?" I called. "Anyone?!"
No answer.
Panic clawed at my lungs. My heart started racing.
Then came the pounding headache.
Then… black.
---
Zayden
I came home to an empty apartment.
No Elena. No notes. Her phone? Still charging on the table.
My chest tightened. Something felt wrong.
I opened her inbox on my laptop.
The newest mail blinked at me:
> "Meeting confirmed. 9 PM. 43rd floor."
My stomach dropped.
I knew that building.
That floor was under construction.
I ran.
---