Chapter 45

• Scarlett's face contorted in agony as she tried to locate the source of the throbbing ache pounding through her skull. Her eyelids fluttered open gradually, squinting against the harsh light assaulting her senses.
• "Scarlett."
• She turned her head slowly at the sound of her old name spoken in a deep, achingly familiar voice, one she'd feared she might never hear again. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes as she drank in the sight of Michael hovering over her bedside, his expression a mix of raw hope and guarded restraint.