216 Price

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she smiled, touching his face gently, before she embraced him.

The ice that started to envelop Alex's body started to melt. His cold and empty mind began to work as the icy numbness in his heart started fading away. It was like his lifeline had been re-activated and he became alive again.

He hugged her back, as tight as he could but suddenly, he pulled away, looking at her worriedly.

"Are you okay?" he asked, holding her face with all the gentleness in the world.

Abi smiled. "I'm fine."

His brows creased and then he lifted her up. He carried her back to the bed and slowly settled her there.

"It's still midnight. You're supposed to be sleeping," he told her as he tucked her in the bed. She noticed his hair was still damp. Did he just take a shower in the middle of the night?

"Alex…" she called out, softly, holding his wrist. "I'm sorry…" her eyes began to well. "I'm sorry I hid everything from you."

"Shh… Abigail, you can't –"

"Please, Alex, listen to me… please let me say it…" she begged as she sat up, clinging on his shirt.

Alex could only grit his teeth and nod. He promised her, after all, so he would listen to her. "Fine, tell me everything you want to say, I will listen."

Abi took a deep breath and wiped her tears before she looked at him intently. "I'm very sick, Alex…"

"I already know. Your dad already told me," he mumbled softly.

"I only have a little time left…" she continued and Alex's face turned dark. She knew he didn't want her saying that, she knew it was cruel but she had to tell him everything. Before Alex could speak again, Abi held his hand and placed it on her face. "That's why I… I approached you that night in the garage. I wanted to fall in love. To experience love before my time was up," she confessed, a tear falling from her eyes.

Hearing her, the memories started playing like a song in Alex's head. He remembered how she looked that night, when she told him to try her despite him telling her he was dangerous and that he didn't do love. He finally understood why she was so brave that night, so determined to be his girlfriend despite it all...

"So, you chose me because I said I don't do love?" he asked and Abi's tears fell as she nodded. A bitter smirk left his lips.

"I'm sorry…" she mumbled.

"Did you decide to leave me that night because you realized I was falling in love with you?" he asked again.

"Yes," she cried and Alex threw back his head, biting his lips hard. "I'm so sorry. I was scared. Even though I've been longing to experience love, I was scared because I didn't want to hurt anyone. You said you would never fall in love and I naively believed that, believed that you'd be fine, that you would not get hurt because you would never love me back even when I was gone…"

Suddenly, Alex rose and paced back and forth before her with his hands tugging his hair. And then he slammed his hands on the bed as he looked at her. Anger burned fiercely in his eyes.

"Stop! Please stop. Stop saying that, because you won't. You're not going to go anywhere. Understand?" he said between his gritted teeth.

"Alex…" she sobbed, seeing the shades of agony behind the rage in his eyes. "I'm sorry…"

Seeing her weep, the rage in his eyes slowly dissipated. He lifted his hands and held her face. "Stop it, Abigail. Don't worry, everything will be fine, I promise," he assured her and kissed her forehead before he hugged her tightly and let her cry on his chest.

Alex caressed her back. He could feel her pain, her sorrow and it ripped him apart. He thought he had experienced every worst kind of pain under the sun but he was wrong. Those kinds of pain were merely physical and it couldn't even begin to compare to this kind of indescribable pain they were sharing right now. It was maddening. The thought of losing her was like poison taking over his soul, threatening to kill him entirely.

He couldn't help but wonder if this was the price he had to pay for finally loving someone.

"I never wanted to hurt you, Alex… I love you so much. I never expected that you would come to love me too. I never wanted you to suffer because of me," she uttered between her sobs and Alex held her face making her look at him again.

He wiped her tears as he spoke. "If you don't want me to hurt then listen to me and trust me, okay? I will never let you go," he told her and he embraced her tightly again, his eyes burning with something unfathomable.

'I will do anything, everything for you. I will never let you leave me alone. I will never let you go.'

…

The next morning, Abi's family arrived but when they saw Alex and Abi sleeping on the bed, they immediately stepped out. They were shocked when someone brought them to the highest floor and even brought them to a ridiculously luxurious hospital room but they didn't ask any questions.

They didn't have the energy to ask because they were devastated. For the second time in their life, they were going through this again.

At least Abi looked to have been made comfortable by this hospital which was some consolation. Abi, oh dear Abi, their dear granddaughter… even though they already knew about it, it still struck them hard.

As the three silently stepped out of the room, a doctor approached them. They were brought to a sofa and they were asked to wait there until a doctor approached them. It was Zeke.

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A\\N:we didn't reach our goal so there's no mass release TT

But our goal remain the same, if we reach top 4 I will give a mass release ^^

If we get 3000 votes in a day, I will give a bunos chapter.

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