Chapter 128

Relief hit me like a wave, so strong it nearly knocked me out of my chair. Gideon was awake. His eyes—still hazy from medication and confusion—were open and fixed on me. He was alive, conscious, talking.

"Gideon," I breathed, my voice breaking as tears spilled down my cheeks. "Thank God you're okay."

He blinked slowly, trying to focus, and shifted slightly on the bed. A grimace of pain flickered a