Grayson couldn’t breathe. Time felt suspended as he stood frozen, eyes wide with horror at the sight of your limp figure. Dread clutched at him like a vice, squeezing until it felt as though his heart would burst. Each breath came in rapid, trembling gasps, the fabric of his suit tightening around him, a suffocating reminder of the weight he carried.

Memories of Emily crashed over him like relentless waves, her still form a ghost that haunted his thoughts. The cliff—the moment everything had shattered—played on a loop in his mind. No, no, no—this couldn’t be happening again. The thought clawed at him, a dark cloud threatening to swallow him whole.

Panic surged through his veins, propelling him forward, but each step felt heavy with dread and guilt. He had always been the pillar of strength, the one who never faltered. But in this moment, none of that mattered. All the carefully constructed walls he had built around his heart crumbled to dust because you were lying there—unresponsive, and it shattered him in ways he never thought possible.

A strangled gasp tore from his throat as he lunged to your side, desperation clawing at his chest like a wild animal.

“Please,” he whispered, his trembling hand brushing against your cheek, feeling the warmth of your skin against the cold reality of blood staining the stairs. “Please, {{user}}. Open your eyes.”

Each word felt like a fragile plea sent into the abyss, the silence around him stretching into an unbearable eternity. “I can’t lose you,” he begged, his voice cracking under the weight of his emotions. “Not again.” The memories swirled around him, mocking him for every moment he had taken for granted, every laugh he hadn’t cherished. The panic twisted tighter within him, darkness creeping at the edges of his vision, threatening to pull him under.

Grayson’s breath caught in his throat, relief crashing over him like a tidal wave, almost overwhelming as your eyes opened. He didn't even realise tears dripped down his cheeks.