Eloise’s breathing was rapid and erratic, her chest heaving against his. Ainsley crouched over her on the asphalt, holding her limp form like something fragile but slipping from his grasp. He looked down at her face; so pale, so hollow..... His hands, bloody from shattering the glass, trembled as he brushed a lock of hair from her eyes.
Her lips moved slightly, barely a whisper. “Let me go…”
Ainsley clenched his jaw. His throat bobbed, trying to swallow the scream building in his chest. “I’m not letting you go,” he said, each word tight and low, like a vow dragged from the depths of him. “Not now, not ever again, Eloise. You hear me? I’m not f*****g letting go of you again.”
She didn’t respond. Her eyes drifted to the side, unfocused and her mouth was slack.
Then Ainsley heard it. Alex
