Chapter 5
The moment I hit send, I heard a loud crack right above me as a beam snapped.
In that split second before the heat swallowed me whole, I heard the door smash open and a voice–so familiar but almost forgotten–calling my
name.
A pair of strong arms lifted me. The scent that filled my nose was not Kevin’s usual fancy cologne, but something warm and herbal.
“Aubree! Stay with me!”
Jeremy’s voice felt distant. “I’m here. I’ve got you…
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I grabbed onto his sleeve like it
y thing keeping me alive. Sparks had burned holes through the back of his shirt, but he still held me
close.
“Don’t be scared. Close your eyes.”
His voice was rough but steady, and at the same time, his hands held me firmly.
He covered my mouth and nose to block the smoke. As I rested my head against his chest, I could hear his pounding heartbeat.
In the distance, I heard an ambulance siren. I drifted, half awake, and suddenly I was back in that summer from so long ago, the air buzzing with cicadas.
I was ten years old and wearing a princess dress. Jeremy squatted in front of me and said seriously, “When I grow up, I’m going to marry Bree.”
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Chapter 5
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I just laughed and tossed chips at his hair. “Who wants to marry a chubby kid with snot running down his nose?”
Those old memories faded over the years.
Now, the way he carried me through the fire looked exactly like a knight saving a princess in a fairytale.
Half a year ago, when I went home, my mom had brought him up, careful and hesitant, “That boy from the Tully family… I heard he’s not right, you know..”
I had brushed it off since it was just gossip. It was not worth thinking
about.
Back then, I was too wrapped up in loving Kevin and pouring all I had into him. Hence, I did not care about anything else.
Now I understood. He deliberately tarnished his own name, allowing rumors of penile agenesis to spread, simply to deter potential suitors and bide his time for me.
My heart clenched. Has he really been waiting all this time?
When I was 15, my family lost everything. So, I deleted every contact, even his.
Overnight, I went from a pampered princess to a broke nobody. I could not bear the shame.
I forced myself to study, work, and fight to get back what I had lost- never knowing that someone was still there waiting for me all along.
When they lifted me onto the stretcher and wheeled me into the ambulance, I noticed blood soaking through the back of Jeremy’s white shirt.
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Chapter 5
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The nurse gasped and tried to treat the cut on his back, but he just gripped my hand tighter and would not let go.
“Take care of her first!”
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E
T
After I sent him that text, he had dropped everything, left a room full of people waiting in a meeting, and sped here with an emergency pass.
At the hospital, Jeremy stayed close the whole time, making sure I got a full checkup and the best care.
I was so surprised when the doctor said there was still hope for my voice
to come back.
After my surgery, I spent a long time doing rehab exercises, and Jeremy was always by my side.
One afternoon, the rehab room was empty.
He took off his white coat and just wore a simple gray sweater as he helped me practice breathing exercises.
The sunlight caught on the tiny fuzz of his sweater. It made me think of those fluffy dandelion seeds that used to stick to his uniform back in middle school.
“Here, put your hand here.” He pulled my hand to rest on his stomach. “Feel how the breath moves.”
Through the soft fabric, I could feel his abs tighten and relax with each breath.
Suddenly, I remembered those old gossip posts calling him aphallic and could not help but laugh out loud.
If those people spreading rumors could see this, they would probably take back what they said.
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Chapter 5
“What’s so funny?” Jeremy raised his eyebrow at me.
I just shook my head, but he caught my finger and started tracing words
on my palm. “I remember you calling yourself aphallic.”
His ears instantly turned red. “That was because…”
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Before he could finish, the door swung open and a nurse walked in, cutting him off mid–sentence.
