Chapter 24

• The clock struck midnight, the soft chime echoing through the silent house. Zander lay sprawled on the living room couch, the dim light casting shadows across his face. Sleep had come fitfully, plagued by the turmoil of the day and the weight of his thoughts. As he drifted into a restless slumber, his mind conjured vivid images—Aria.
• In his dream, the scene unfolded like a haunting melody. He saw her lying there, pale and still, her life hanging by a thread. Panic surged through him as he rushed to her side, the world around them fading away, leaving just the two of them in a bubble of urgency.
• He remembered the moment he had performed CPR, the desperation in his heart as he pressed his lips against hers—not in a romantic way, but as a lifeline, a last-ditch effort to bring her back. The touch was electric, sending a jolt through him, a stark reminder of the fragility of life. It had been a moment of pure instinct, driven by the need to save her, but now, in the depths of his subconscious, that moment replayed over and over, each repetition twisting the knife deeper into his heart.