Chapter 244: The Things We Hold Onto
Jacob~
"Jacob... Rose... please..."
Even in her subconscious, Easter’s voice broke through — soft, pleading, laced with a kind of desperation only a mother could carry. She didn’t need to ask. I had already made that promise the moment I chose to wipe her memories. Watching over her daughter wasn’t just a duty — it was something etched into my soul. Whether spoken or not, I heard her. And I wasn’t about to let her down. Never again.
I closed my eyes and reached beyond the veil of the present, letting the golden strands of spirit-sight stretch across space. My vision tunneled gently to Rose—sweet, precious Rose. She was safe.
Her laughter rang faintly in my ears, like the bells of some distant temple. She was outside on the small playground of her kindergarten, her curly brown hair bouncing as she ran with a group of kids near a plastic slide shaped like a dragon. I smiled faintly. She was wearing the little purple dress with bunnies that Easter always said made her look "like springtime wrapped up in a child."
I counted the hours. Four—maybe five—before I’d need to pick her up. That gave me enough time.
I stood outside Easter’s hospital room for a moment, staring at the closed door, heart thudding slowly in my chest. I wasn’t supposed to be here. I should’ve been gone the moment I stabilized her, but something inside me refused to leave. Something primal. Protective. Mine.
I turned the handle and stepped inside.
The room was quiet—too quiet. A slow, constant beep from the heart monitor was the only sound, apart from the gentle hiss of the IV line. Easter lay curled slightly on her side, the blankets gathered around her like fallen snow, her brown curls fell across the pillow like a halo.
She looked like something out of a dream—fragile and lovely, the kind of beauty you were scared to touch in case it vanished.
I sat down beside her and reached for her hand. It was warm. Human. Shaking slightly from the effort of healing. My thumb traced the soft rise of her knuckles, then I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist.