Guiding Light to Rebirth Chapter 09

Guiding Light to Rebirth Chapter 09

I wondered, “What does Cole mean? Like Ethan? Like how he’d suddenly forget me one day and hurt me for someone else?”

I quickly shook the thought out of my head.

Cole wasn’t Ethan. He’d never do that.

But his vague words still bugged me.

He always did that, dropping half-sentences and leaving me guessing.

I stomped out to the yard, grabbed a shovel, and hacked at the ground a few times, pretending the snow was Cole’s smug, mysterious face.

The shovel suddenly slipped from my hand, thudding to the ground.

I tried to bend down and pick it up, but my arms froze mid-air. I couldn’t move them.

Before I could call for help, my body was lifted off the ground. Cole scooped me up steadily in his arms.

Pressed against his chest, I heard his strong, steady heartbeat. Thump after thump, like a reassuring drum.

According to doctors, ALS was an incurable illness. Drugs and care could only slow it down.

Muscles would gradually lose strength, stiffen, and waste away. Eventually, I’d be frozen. Even breathing would become a luxury.

Lying in bed as Cole tucked me in, I mustered a joke. “Blame the cold outside. It froze me up.”

Cole leaned over my neck. His voice shook slightly. “Yeah, once the weather warms up, you won’t freeze anymore.”

I went quiet.

After a long pause, I spoke seriously. “With my condition, I’m not fit to be anyone’s wife or lover.”

I gently turned down the deep affection I couldn’t handle.

But Cole looked up, leaning closer. His gaze bore into mine.

The surging love in his eyes was so intense it startled me. I’d overlooked it for so long.

Then he relaxed and shrugged. “If you choose me as your brother, I’ll care for you like family. If you choose me as your love, it’s just adding a husband’s devotion on top of that. Same difference.”

He paused. “But I’m greedy. I want to claim one more spot in your heart. Don’t rush to say no.”

He looked at me, his eyes pleading. “At least let me try. See if I can make it work.”

Ethan fell from the cliff. He was rushed to the hospital and saved.

But the doctors found it odd.

All his vitals showed he was out of danger. His brain activity was unusually high, not like a coma patient at all. Yet he wouldn’t wake up.

Ethan’s parents got the news and rushed over. Seeing their motionless son on the bed, they exploded at Hanna, who stood guard nearby.

“I knew you were bad news! But Ethan was so smitten, he couldn’t see straight!”

“If we hadn’t listened to Debbie and stopped trying to jog his memory with doctors, we wouldn’t have brought you to our house. Look where it’s gotten us!”

They slumped down, their voices thick with regret. “When Ethan was with Debbie, nothing like this ever happened. We should have ignored her advice.”