CLAUDE
I WOKE UP gasping.
My lungs were on fire, chest heaving too fast, too erratically. My fingers dug into the sheets—no, not sheets. Not his. Not that ground. I sucked in a breath, pushing myself up, my back slamming against the headboard.
I wasn’t there.
I wasn’t there.
I dragged a shaky hand across my face. My skin was slick and my hair, wet. My chest felt tight, like I couldn’t get enough air, and my throat was sore, dry.
Then I turned my head.
The space next to me was empty. The sheets were cold.
I swallowed, but it didn’t help. The room was dark, with only the faint light outside spilling in. I listened, hoping to hear the sound of him—his breath, his movements, anything that would tell me he was still here, that everything was still… okay.
But there was nothing.
I tol
