Chapter 223\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew you needed to face it,\u201d I said, cupping her face in my hands. \u201cI knew that as long as you were too scared to look at what was really happening inside you, you\u2019d never be able to control it. And I was right, wasn\u2019t I? You found her, you understood her, and now you can heal instead of hurt.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have actually died,\u201d she said, her voice breaking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I didn\u2019t,\u201d I reminded her. \u201cBecause you\u2019re stronger than you think you are. Because you\u2019re exactly what I always knew you were, someone who saves people instead of destroying them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She kissed me then, and it wasn\u2019t careful or gentle. It was desperate and relieved and full of everything we\u2019d both been feeling. When\u00a0<\/p>\n
we finally broke apart, she was crying harder than before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was so scared,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I saw you lying there, when I felt how close you were to dying, I thought I\u2019d never get to tell you\u00a0<\/p>\n
how much you mean to me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just did,\u201d I said, wiping the tears from her cheeks with my thumbs. \u201cAnd you did it by saving my life in a way I never could have\u00a0<\/p>\n
saved myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She laughed again, that same broken, happy sound, and hugged me once more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over her shoulder, I saw Orion step forward. He looked like he wanted to say something but couldn\u2019t find the words. When Athena\u00a0<\/p>\n
finally let me go, she turned and saw her brother standing there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOrion,\u201d she said, and then she was crossing the room to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He caught her in his arms and held her like he\u2019d never let go. I saw his shoulders shake as he buried his face in her hair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did it,\u201d he said, his voice cracking. \u201cI knew you could do it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t have done it without Tristan, without you or any of you in this room.\u201d she said, pulling back to look at him. \u201cHe was willing to die so I could understand what was happening. He saved me. You all saved me. Thank you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe saved you. You both did it all, we only assisted\u201d Orion said, glancing at me over her shoulder, and I could see the gratitude in his\u00a0<\/p>\n
Athena turned to Sarah next, and Sarah opened her arms without hesitation. They hugged and cried together, and Sarah kept saying\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cthank god\u201d over and over like a prayer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re so brave,\u201d Sarah said, holding Athena\u2019s face in her hands. \u201cYou\u2019re so incredibly brave.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Derek stood off to the side, looking uncomfortable with all the emotion but happy at the same time. When Athena moved to hug him,\u00a0<\/p>\n
he patted her back awkwardly but I could see how relieved he was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:01 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 223\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
94\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe readings I got during the process were remarkable,\u201d he said, unable to help himself. \u201cThe way the energy shifted from taking to giving, it was like watching a complete reversal of polarity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEnglish, Derek,\u201d Orion said, but he was smiling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means she\u2019s not just controlling it,\u201d Derek explained. \u201cShe\u2019s transformed it into something entirely different. Something healing\u00a0<\/p>\n
instead of harmful.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Athena came back to me then, and I held out my hand. She took it and didn\u2019t let go, her fingers threading through mine like she was\u00a0<\/p>\n
afraid I\u2019d disappear if she wasn\u2019t touching me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I managed to get to my feet, and everyone rushed forward like they thought I might fall over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I didn\u2019t. I felt steady and strong and more alive than I had in weeks. Whatever she\u2019d done to heal me had done more than just close the wound, it had restored everything. I felt like I could run for miles, like I could shift and not feel even a hint of fatigue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to hug all of you,\u201d I said, because the emotion in the room was overwhelming and I needed to do something with it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Orion came first. We\u2019d never been the type to hug much, but right now it felt necessary. He grabbed me in a bear hug that probably\u00a0<\/p>\n
would have hurt if I wasn\u2019t feeling so good.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was the stupidest, bravest thing I\u2019ve ever seen anyone do,\u201d he said quietly, so only I could hear. \u201cThank you for believing in her\u00a0<\/p>\n
when the rest of us were too scared to try.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was always going to work,\u201d I told him. \u201cI knew she had it in her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou couldn\u2019t have known that,\u201d he said, pulling back to look at me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I could,\u201d I said firmly. \u201cBecause I know her. I know who she is at her core, and that person would never let someone die if she had the power to save them. And you know it too, isn\u2019t that why you didn\u2019t use your Alpha command on her as you did that day at the cave.\u201d He nodded and tapped my back twice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sarah hugged me next, and she was crying again. \u201cDon\u2019t you ever do something that stupid again,\u201d she said, but she was smiling\u00a0<\/p>\n
through her tears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t promise that,\u201d I said. \u201cBut I can promise it\u2019ll always be for a good reason.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She laughed and shook her head at me like I was hopeless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even Derek gave me a quick hug, clapping me on the back like guys do when they\u2019re trying not to be too emotional. \u201cThat was either brilliant or insane, I haven\u2019t decided which yet.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t it be both?\u201d I asked, and he actually laughed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
Memories Drifted Into Soft Silence by Kyx Frost 223 Chapter 223\u00a0 \u201cI knew you needed to face it,\u201d I said, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-second-gear-of-love-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26380"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26380\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}