AMARANTA POV
The first thing I became aware of was his voice breaking.
Not loud. Not dramatic. Just raw in a way I had never heard before.
I was alive.
That realization came second.
Alive meant breath dragging through my throat that still burned from blood loss. Alive meant the dull ache in my veins where the venom had tried to root itself. Alive meant the weight of hospital blankets against my legs and the faint sting where needles pierced my skin. Alive meant the steady warmth of Garrett’s hand wrapped around mine, large and calloused and trembling in a way he would never allow anyone else to see.
Alive meant I had heard him.
And he had meant it when he said “I love you.”
The words didn’t feel real. For a long, terrifying Moment, I thought I imagined it.
Then he said it again a
