Page 97 of The Lost Husband

“Do you have any clue how much this girl loves you?” Avi says, her voice choking on the last word. “If you even try to leave right now, she will go after you and bring you back. I’m sure of it.” Tears flood my eyes, and the pressure builds in my head. “Dear God, she just doesn’t give up.”

I twist my head to look at Avi, but she turns around before I can face her and walks to the window as if she had never said a word.

We’re both holding on to a thread, unsure how much weight it can carry before it snaps.

FORTY

CURRENT DAY

Gliwice, Poland

My heart thunders, seizing my lungs into a gasp when I realize I fell asleep. It was dark last I looked out the window but now there’s a glow of sun striping the blankets.

I press my shaking hand on Noah’s chest, his skin cool but not cold. There’s warmth, enough to break through the extreme chill. His heart is stronger too, but still slightly erratic.

“Are you all right?” Elias asks, his back against the wall, eyes wide open, watching over Noah. I didn’t hear him come back in last night after tending to the fire.

“I didn’t mean to?—”

“You needed sleep. You can’t take care of him or anyone if you aren’t taking care of yourself,” he tells me.

“What about you?”

Avi chuckles through a sound of irritation. “I was forced to lie in bed for a week. I’m all right.”

Noah stirs beneath my hand, a groan murmuring in his throat. His lashes flutter slowly, and multiple times over thespan of a long minute. I stare at him, silently willing him to open his eyes and see me.

Avi leans forward, pressing her hands into the mattress.

The flutter stops and my stomach sinks with dread, but then his eyes open, just enough to see what’s in front of him.

They grow wider, exposing the beautiful storm of golds, greens, and browns as he searches between my face and Avi’s, his brows knitting together with tension. He doesn’t know Avi.

“Cold,” he whispers. How can he still be this cold after nearly a day?

“We—we’re—warm—warming you up,” I say, trying to sound brave, but failing.

“We won’t let you get cold again,” Avi adds, placing her hand on his blanket covered shoulder.

“Who?” Noah utters in a whisper, still looking between the two of us.

A jab of pain hits me without warning, sobs breaking through my chest. But I press my hand to my mouth to stop sound from escaping. It doesn’t stop the tears though.

“Celina, your wife,” Avi says, “and me, just a new friend, Avi, and Elias, wherever he is.”

Through the blur of tears, I can still see Noah close his eyes, though his brows stay tightly pressed into deep creases.

Elias walks into the room. I didn’t notice he was gone. He’s holding the metal bowl, with a blanket rolled up inside. “I added more tinder to the fire. It should be—” Elias steps in closer to Avi. “Has something happened?”

“He woke up for a minute, confused,” Avi says.

Avi takes the blanket for the bowl and Elias walks to the other side of the bed, patting his hand against my shoulder.

“I’m going to head into the village and start going through some of the collapsed houses in search of cans of food—something to buy us more time here.”

“You’re going to go alone?” Avi scolds him.

“It’s all right. The guards are gone. The village is empty.”