Chapter 25 Break Up With Her #3
She staggered into the bathroom, and he was right behind her in seconds, catching her before her knees fully gave out. His arm slid instinctively around her waist while his other hand steadied the back of her head, pulling her gently but firmly toward the sink as her body folded forward.
She broke down immediately.
Vomiting, trembling violently, her hands gripping the edge of the basin as if it was the only thing keeping her upright. Tears slipped down her flushed cheeks, mixing with sweat, her entire frame shaking under the force of the fever.
“Hey… hey, I’ve got you,” Cassian said quickly, his voice losing its edge completely, replaced by urgency and fear as he held her hair back from her face.
When the wave finally eased, he turned on the tap without hesitation, cupping water in his palm and guiding it carefully to her lips. His movements were controlled, but his hand betrayed him—slightly unsteady as he watched her struggle to stay conscious.
Juliet drank weakly, still trembling, her lashes heavy, her strength draining with every passing second.
And then, just when Cassian thought she was finally stabilizing—
Her body went slack.
“Juliet!” His arms locked around her instantly, catching her before she could collapse completely, pulling her against his chest with a force that bordered on panic.
For a heartbeat, everything went eerily silent.
He lifted her without a second thought, rushing out of the house with her held tightly against him. His heart pounded so violently it drowned out everything else, his breath uneven as he reached the car and set her carefully inside.
The drive blurred into fractured moments—speed, headlights, the constant weight of her unmoving presence beside him. Every few seconds, his eyes flicked toward her, his grip tightening on the wheel.
By the time the hospital lights cut through the night, he was already out of the car.
Doctors rushed forward with a stretcher, lifting Juliet from his arms, but Cassian barely released her. His fingers lingered around her hand a second too long, reluctant, as if the moment he let go, she would slip out of reach completely.
They started to wheel her away.
Then her hand moved.
Weak. Trembling.
It reached for him.
And before they could take her further, Juliet’s fingers closed around Cassian’s hand.
“Cassian… don’t leave me… please…”
Juliet’s voice broke mid-sob, the words slipping out of her in fragments as if even speaking them cost her strength she didn’t have.
Her fingers tightened around his hand instinctively, clinging with a desperate grip that trembled under the weight of her fever, her nails faintly pressing into his skin without her even realizing it.
Tears kept falling without pause, sliding down her temples and into the sheet beneath her, while her entire body shook so violently on the stretcher that the wheels creaked with each hurried movement forward.
Cassian didn’t let go of her for even a second.
He bent closer immediately, his tall frame folding over hers, his hand tightening around hers in return while his thumb moved over her knuckles in slow, grounding circles that never quite stopped.
“I’m here,” he said, leaning in so closely his breath brushed her skin. “I’m not leaving you. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
But Juliet didn’t seem to truly register it.
Her lashes fluttered weakly, her breathing coming in uneven, broken pulls of air, as if her mind kept slipping in and out of something darker than the room around her.
She only held on tighter whenever her body jolted, her fingers refusing to release him even as her strength faded further with each passing second.
The stretcher moved under harsh hospital lights, the sound of hurried footsteps and rolling wheels filling the corridor as they rushed her forward.
A doctor walking beside them studied her briefly, then looked toward Cassian with a sharp, assessing glance as if trying to piece together the source of her panic.
“Did you break up with her?” he asked bluntly, his tone clipped with urgency. “She keeps saying you’re leaving her.”
Cassian’s head snapped up instantly.
The question hit something raw. His expression shifted at once, jaw tightening as disbelief flashed across his face, followed immediately by something protective and sharp. His grip on Juliet’s hand instinctively tightened.
“What?” His voice came out low at first, controlled by sheer restraint, but it hardened as he stepped closer without realizing it. “No. I’m not leaving her. We didn’t break up. I’m never breaking up with her.”
His eyes flicked back to Juliet’s face at once, taking in how pale and exhausted she looked, her lashes wet against her cheeks, her lips trembling slightly even as she drifted in and out of awareness.
The doctor held his gaze for a brief moment, then gave a short nod and signaled the team forward. Without further delay, the stretcher was pushed into the emergency room, the doors swinging open as bright white light swallowed Juliet away from view.