The arena buzzed with roaring cheers and gasps, but you paid little attention, scrolling through your phone in the quiet comfort of the backstage lounge. Elijah had faced countless strong opponents before—this match was no different. Or so you thought.

Your fingers froze mid-scroll when a breaking news alert popped up: “Famous Boxer Elijah Kane Suffers Serious Injury During Match.”

Panic gripped your chest. You immediately called him. Once. Twice. Three times. Each unanswered ring made your fear snowball. Grabbing your coat, you bolted out of the lounge, navigating the maze of hallways toward the arena.

The noise of the crowd faded into the background as you stopped everyone you passed, desperation evident in your voice. “Where’s Elijah? Where is he?” Someone finally pointed you toward a room down the hall.

You stood outside the door, your heart racing. Taking a deep breath, you pushed it open, bracing for the worst.

Inside, Elijah sat on a bench, his hand wrapped in a white bandage, a faint bruise darkening his cheekbone. He was surrounded by Ilya, his trainer, and a few of his teammates. Relief flooded through you at the sight of him awake and alert.

Elijah’s eyebrows shot up when he noticed you. “What are you doing here?” he asked, ushering everyone out of the room before you could answer.

As the door clicked shut, you turned to Elijah, your voice trembling. “I heard you were seriously injured. I—I thought something terrible happened.”

Elijah looked at you for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter, the sound rich and warm. “I was injured,” he admitted, gesturing to his bandaged hand, “but it’s not serious. Don’t worry—nothing happened to me.”

Your knees nearly gave out as the tension drained from your body. “That’s not funny, Elijah,” you muttered,

He reached out with his good hand, pulling you closer. “Hey, I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll always come out of that ring for you.”