Chapter 132
Dominic's POV
I am not hiding outside the infirmary.
I am standing strategically near the door.
There is a difference.
A very important one.
The door is cracked open just enough for voices to slip through, and I lean against the wall with my arms crossed, looking like someone who has every reason to be here.
Like I'm waiting for someone.
Anyone who asks.
Not like I'm listening.
Definitely not that.
"...no abnormalities," the healer says from inside.
"Sometimes stress manifests physically."
Stress.
I almost scoff.
Ellie?
Stress?
The same Ellie who once took an impossible exam, slept maybe four hours over two days, and still had enough energy to correct my technique during healer drills?
The same Ellie who pushed herself past exhaustion because admitting she needed help was apparently impossible?
She doesn't collapse from stress.
She fights through it.
She always has.
Inside the room, I hear her argue.
Even weak and exhausted, she still sounds like herself.
Stubborn.
Frustrated.
Unwilling to accept an answer that doesn't make sense.
And somehow, that sound tightens something in my chest.
Because I know she's right.
Something was wrong.
I saw it.
When she walked toward me in the training hall, she didn't look normal.
She looked distant.
Like she wasn't completely there.
Like she didn't even realize it was me standing in front of her.
At first, I was annoyed.
Of course I was.
Especially after this morning.
After seeing her with Lucas.
The way he walked her to the academy.
The way she looked at him.
I almost laughed.
Almost.
But then she touched my arm.
And everything changed.
I remember the moment too clearly.
The training hall was loud.
Students everywhere.
Weapons clashing.
Voices echoing.
And Ellie...
She was wrong.
Something about her movement was wrong.
She wrapped the bandage around my arm, but her hands weren't steady.
Her magic didn't flow the way it should.
There was hesitation.
Resistance.
Like something inside her was fighting back.
Then she looked at me.
And before I could ask what was happening—
She fell.
No warning.
No attempt to catch herself.
One second, she was standing.
Next, her knees gave out.
I caught her before she hit the ground.
My arms locked around her automatically.
Her head landed against my shoulder.
Her breath brushed warm against my neck.
And then—
Her fingers grabbed my shirt.
Not casually.
Not for balance.
She held on.
Like she was drowning.
Like letting go wasn't an option.
My hand moves unconsciously to my chest.
To the place where her fingers had clenched into the fabric.
I can still feel it.
That impossible pull.
The way she pressed closer.
The way she seemed to need something steady.
My heartbeat.
My presence.
Me.
I hate that I remember it.
I hate that part of me doesn't want to forget.
Then Lucas appeared.
Of course he did.
"Let me."
He was already reaching for her.
And I should have moved.
I should have handed her over immediately.
That would have been the logical thing.
The right thing.
But I didn't want to let go.
That realization bothers me more than anything else.
Lucas was there.
Lucas could help.
Lucas was the person she trusted.
The person she chose.
So why did my arms refuse to move?
The problem was...
Ellie wasn't letting go either.
Her fingers stayed twisted in my shirt.
Lucas tried to pull her away.
Nothing.
I tried to carefully loosen her grip myself.
Still nothing.
Her hand wouldn't release.
Not until we slowly worked her fingers free one by one.
And when we did...
She made a sound.
Small.
Barely there.
Almost like she was upset.
Almost like she didn't want to leave.
I don't know what to do with that memory.
So I bury it.
Deep.
Because thinking about it leads to questions I don't want to answer.
I force myself back into the present.
The healer inside finishes talking.
Satisfied with an explanation that doesn't explain anything.
Stress.
A convenient answer.
A useless one.
The door shifts.
Footsteps approach.
Before I can move, Lucas appears.
He passes by me without noticing.
Or maybe he does.
Either way, he doesn't stop.
He goes straight into the room.
Straight to her.
And I stay where I am.
Outside the door.
Not hiding.
Just...
Waiting.