Chapter 127
ACE
The fluorescent lights of the hospital hallway buzzed faintly above me, casting a harsh, clinical glow on the cold tiles beneath my feet. I wandered aimlessly, trying to escape the crushing weight pressing down on my chest. The sterile smell of disinfectant filled my lungs, but it couldn’t erase the stench of fear that clung to me like a second skin. I shoved my hands deeper into my pockets, gripping the fabric so hard my knuckles turned white. I rarely smoked—hardly ever had the urge—but tonight, I was desperate for the numbing distraction of a cigarette. Anything to dull the edges of the chaos that had taken over our lives.
It had been forty-eight hours since Bella had been admitted to the hospital, and in those hours, I’d watched her drift in and out of consciousness,
