he front door, Anastasia stormed up to

L!" she screamed so l

out of him. The whole room froze. Even Beth and Britney, lounging smugly on the couc

bout?" Wyatt asked, his fo

nger at her stepmother and step

mother! You're being

of two years' worth of swallowed pain. "My real mother would NEVER treat me li

The grief clawing at her chest was unbearable. Ever since her mother died, her

d," Wyatt said, his voice measured but cautious,

o get the words out. Her breath came

aw tighte

a tiny smirk curling at the edges of her lips, looked as thou

, leaping off the couch. "You wil

nce wearing thin. "Beth, wait.

hone. Pretended to be me. Texted Bastian-" her voice faltered, but she fo

g in the air

all color. "Bastian is i

ipping her hair, as if she could pull

stunned. "But... how

in her eyes lethal. "Tell him. Go on,

unbothered. "I have no idea

ugh. "Oh, REALLY? You expect me to believ

ing hard. "Ana, are you SURE it was B

sia thought back to the phone call that had made her entire life seem unreal. "A little while ago, his mother gave me a call. She said Bass was at home in the kitchen and his phone went off. When he looked at his phone, he furiously got into his ca

it, how is it her fault he's in a coma? Seem

lunged at Beth, ready to claw her face off,

ce thundered through the

r nails bit into her skin. "I NEED to see Bastian,"

ted. "Ana, I

DAD. With or

cating silence. And the

murmured. "I

elled like anti

rway of Bastian's hospital room,

't recog

re tubes and wires everywhere. Machines beeped rhythmica

hard it hurt. She reached for his hand, but the second her finge

red, barely able to form the

corner of the room. "They say coma patients can hear th

ears. "I should've chased after him," she said, her voice cra

The doctors..." She hesitated, pain deepening the wr

whole worl

ered. "No, he w

st, wrapping around her lungs, squee

red. "I don't deserve you, but please, wake up. I'll do anything. If you wake up, we'll

g the softest kiss aga

e swore she felt

bed his palm tighter. "Bast

h

BEEP

m ripped thro

ried, panic rising in her chest

" one of them ordered, gently

she screamed, trying to fight a

h, muffling her sobs, her body tremb

th

hines f

into a suffo

d from her body as the doctor stepp

sor