My knees hit the ground with a sickening crack, but I don’t feel it. Wouldn’t care if I shattered every bone in my body, not when she looks like this. Not when her skin is cold, when her warmth is already leaving me.
“Catalina,” I breathe–then louder, harsher, panicked. “Catalina.”
I’m on her in seconds, hands shaking as I gather her into my arms, cradling her like I can hold her soul in place. But she doesn’t respond.
Her skin is clammy against mine, her body limp as herhead falls to my chest. Her lashes flutter once, barely, and then go still again. Something inside me, fucking dies.
“No. No, no, baby–” my voice cracks. “I’m here, I’m right fucking here.”
The words feel useless to reach wherever she’s gone. I press her closer, my fingers weaving into her hair, holding her like I can anchor her to this earth with just my desperation.
“Maverick!” I yell, my voice tearing its way out of my throat. “Call 911. NOW!”
There’s a curse behind me, the sharp click of his phone unlocking, and the rush of frantic fingers on glass.
“Hold on for me, baby. Please—come on.” My forehead falls to hers, as I press my mouth close like maybe she’ll hear it. “Don’t leave me, Catalina. Not like this.”
I can’t tell where my voice ends and the breaking starts.
“Please, baby. Stay with me.”
My palms flatten against her chest, desperate for movement. For a rise. For proof that she’s still here, still mine, still breathing. My cheek presses against hers, and when the sob escapes, it rips through me, loud enough to echo off the marble walls.
“If you go,” I whisper, my thumb brushing along her sweet face. “I’m fucking going with you.”
Maverick drops to his knees beside me, his hands trembling as he gathers Catalina’s hand in his. I’ve never seen him this quiet—this broken.
“Come on, Catalina,” he whispers, brushing her hair off her face with a gentleness I didn’t know he had. “You don’t get to leave us, not like this. Not when you finally started smiling again.”
His voice cracks. “You hear me? You’re family now. Idon’t care what that bastard did—you fight, Catalina. Please… fight.”
Footsteps echo across the marble with a calmness that makes my stomach twist.
His voice stings my ears. “What the fuck is this mess?”
The man Iusedto call my best friend walks in like he’s inspecting a minor inconvenience, not his daughter’s lifeless body.
No sign of panic, not a hint of concern. Just pure irritation. And that makes my blood fucking boil.
“Jesus Christ,” he mutters, eyes sweeping over her with a flatness that knocks the breath out of my lungs. “Of course she’d pull some shit like this.”
I don’t register his words. My body doesn’t feel like mine with the rage coursing through every limb faster than I can control it.
Maverick quickly stands up.
His hands hit Vartan’s chest with enough strength to shove him straight off his feet. His polished shoes skid against the marble as his back slams into the wall with a dull, satisfying crack.
“Get the fuck out of here,” Maverick growls, his voice low and dangerous.
Vartan straightens slowly, brushing invisible dust from the front of his suit jacket like a six-eight NFL quarterback hadn’t manhandled him.
“You think I haven’t seen this before?” Vartan’s voice is calm, cruel, like he’s bored by the entire scene playing out in front of him. “This isn’t her first attempt. She always has been, and always will be, weak-minded. Always reaching for the easy way out. Let her do me a favor and actually stick to it this time.”
I swear to fucking God.
My vision narrows until all I see is red.
I shove past Maverick without thinking, my fist already swinging before anyone can stop me. It lands square in Vartan’s jaw, snapping his head to the side with a crack that echoes off the walls. He stumbles back and hits the floor hard. I step toward him with my fists still clenched. My body shakes, not from adrenaline, but from everything I’ve been holding in since the second she left my arms.
