Royally Bounded

Chapter 62

Hayden

"That's not true. You've always been the husband I've wanted. I know I've said words that hurt you, but if I had a choice, I would still marry you, Hayden. Dead or alive, I still want to be with you for the rest of my life."

It was the last part that I could clearly hear from her before my mind shut down. I furrowed my brows, groaning slightly from the lingering pain at my chest. When I was awake again, I was staring at the white ceiling then regained my full conscious.

My fingers twitched, and I felt another hand holding onto mine. I turned my head, seeing Clara beside me. I thought I was fucking hallucinating, but her beautiful face angled to the side was enough to confirm my view.

Her hair loosely fell to her face, covering parts of her cheek as she rested her head on her arm. She was hunched down, sleeping on the bedside. My eyes fell over to the wedding rings that was attached to both of our fingers. She even wore her engagement ring on top of her wedding ring.

My arms barely had any strength because of the anesthesia. I managed to move it, slowly stroking Clara on the back of the head. I fucking thought that it would be the end, but Clara kept calling me awake. Even if I could barely kept myself alive, she kept me alive.

Clara shifted awake. She whined slightly then raised her head. Her eyes fully opened, and her lips broke into a small smile as soon as she saw me.

Fuck, that was it.

The smile.

"Hayden," she called softly. "Are you okay? Do you want me to call the doctor?"

My palms were pressed to the surface of the bed, forcing my body up to lean against the wall. Clara instantly placed pillows behind my back for support. I groaned again when I felt the pain still aching as I moved.

"Let me call the doctor for you," Clara said, wanting to leave, but I grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back.

I shook my head in response. "It's fine. It's not like I've never dealt with pain before."

Since I was a kid, I trained a lot and dealt with scars and bruises all the time. It was nothing close to a gun, but when it came to pain, I had felt worse. Emotional pain made me fucking numb to the point where I felt nothing. It was as if actual fire burned my entire body.

Silence filled the room. I stared over at Clara who had her head down. I didn't know what she was thinking without seeing her expression, but I suddenly felt a wet spot on my the back of my hand. I furrowed my brows and grasped her chin, tilting her head up to look at me.

Her eyes were filled with tears, and the sight of her crying immediately took a stab to my chest. I hated seeing her upset. It was tearing me apart to know that I could never keep her protected and happy.

"Do you know how scared I was?" She broke the silence. "I was scared that I was going to lose you. I never wanted you to sacrifice your life for me. I—"

I wrapped my hand to the back of her head, cutting her off from her words as I pressed my lips against hers. Her lips were so fucking soft over mine, leaving the most addicting taste that I had ever felt since we last kissed. She gave in her control and parted her lips slightly open.

Her tears fell straight down to the edge of my lips, and I tasted the saltiness. Her fingers tightened around the fabric of my hospital clothes.

I tugged her lips between my teeth, and she sucked in a deep breath as I pulled away, resting my forehead against hers. My fingers curled around her hair. We sat in silence, lost in our own gazes and breaths. It was only heavy breathing in the room.