Chapter 23

When Ronan woke up, everything in front of him felt empty. Bennett stood by the bed, his voice thick. "Mr. Sterling, the bullet went straight through your lung. You almost didn't make it. "You could've gotten back into the car. Why did you step in and take that bullet for Gavin?" Ronan's lips curved into a faint, bitter smile. He had done that because Gavin had been holding Cassandra. When Cassandra had clung to Gavin and sobbed as if her world had ended, Ronan finally understood what it meant to want to die from pain. He had lost Cassandra because of his own arrogance. Ronan turned his head and stared out the window. The sunlight was bright and dazzling. It was beautiful in the same way it had been on an ordinary afternoon, when he sat on the couch reading reports, and Cassandra came bouncing over with a book. She curled up against his leg, her eyes bright with a smile. "You do your work. I'll sit with you for a while." A breeze had lifted her hair and wrapped a few strands a