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00:00I was born with heavy breasts and lush curbs.
00:03My half-sister Chloe was afraid her mate Brad would go feral over me,
00:07so she arranged for me to be mate of a dying man alpha case.
00:11She walked me to the door, guilt written across her face.
00:14Sure, case's injury means he can't get hard.
00:17At least you'll be spared the agony of bearing pups.
00:20Don't worry.
00:21An alpha who can't perform there is probably exceptional everywhere else.
00:25Three months later, I was begging for mercy every single night.
00:28And I desperately wanted to ask Chloe what exactly she meant by can't get hard.
00:34Case Valerius, the Blackwood Pax Alpha and the Lycan King's most trusted war commander,
00:40was carried back from the battlefield in blood.
00:42His mother Martha had already lost her mate.
00:45Now she was watching her son die.
00:47Someone suggested a deathbed mating.
00:49Healthy mate's strength could flow into him and pull him back.
00:52Chloe rushed to play matchmaker and presented me to Martha before I could object.
00:56I had no way to refuse.
00:57If I wouldn't agree, she'd transfer me to serve 60-year-old Elder Kevin.
01:00I knew she resented my history with her mate.
01:03I swear, I had no feelings for Brad.
01:06What good is a vow?
01:07Do you have any idea how distracting you are?
01:10I hunched my shoulders.
01:11Tears slid down my cheeks.
01:13Parading your body in front of every male in this pack?
01:15Which one of them wouldn't catch your scent and lose his mind?
01:18It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I don't trust males.
01:21Do you know how powerful Alpha Case is?
01:23If my mother and Martha weren't old friends, you won't have this opportunity.
01:27Chloe, I don't want to be anyone's offering.
01:29I'd rather scrub kitchen floors.
01:30Just-
01:31Leah, are you out of your mind?
01:33If I hadn't vouched for you, Martha wouldn't have given you a second glance.
01:36You wouldn't even be worthy of being in Case's mate.
01:39I was about to tell her I'd been binding my chest as tight as possible.
01:43But the maid burst in breathless.
01:45Miss Chloe, word from the Valerius Estate.
01:48Alpha Case has woken up.
01:50Chloe dragged me straight to Valerius Estate.
01:52I followed her through the main hall to a set of heavy double doors pulled half shut.
01:56Through the gap, I could make out a man's shape in the bed.
01:59Thin, motionless, chest-rattling with coughs every few minutes.
02:02Chloe.
02:03She clasped Chloe's hand.
02:04Thank you for everything you've done for Case.
02:06I won't destroy a girl's future over it.
02:09Mrs. Valerius, the bond should still be completed.
02:11Leah arrived the same day Case woke up.
02:13That's the moon goddess guiding us.
02:15Seal the bond properly.
02:16Her life force will keep pulling him back towards health.
02:17Before she could speak, the healer Ella stepped out, expression tight.
02:21You can speak freely.
02:23No one here shouldn't hear it.
02:25Alpha Case has regained consciousness, but an arrow struck his inner thigh during battle.
02:30I'm afraid he will no longer be able to-
02:32Unable to do what?
02:33Chloe looked more desperate than Martha.
02:35He will no longer be able to get hard.
02:37Martha's knees gave out.
02:38I caught her before she hit the floor.
02:40She looked up at me with hollowed eyes.
02:42Leah, knowing this, are you still willing?
02:46Of course she is.
02:48She's just an omega with no prospects.
02:50She should be grateful.
02:51Chloe was already answering for me.
02:53I didn't speak right away.
02:54There had been a young wolf in the poor quarter behind our estate.
02:58I first saw him through the offense gaps, thin wrist hollow cheeks hunched over a cracked
03:02bowl with nothing in it.
03:04I started passing food through the gaps, bread first, then soup, then whatever I had, day
03:08after day.
03:09I watched him change.
03:10The hollows in his cheeks filled out.
03:11His shoulders broadened.
03:12He started training before dawn, running laps around the back wall while I was still half
03:17asleep.
03:17When he passed, I went to find him that same night.
03:19I was happy-
03:20Leah, I'm betrothed now.
03:23It wouldn't be proper.
03:23A pouch of silver dropped over the fence into the dirt.
03:26I picked it up and walked away.
03:28Consider my debt repaid.
03:33I gathered my skirts and knelt in front of Martha.
03:36My lady, I'm willing.
03:39I'll complete the bond, care for Case, and serve you as long as you need me.
03:44Luna Martha kept her word and prepared a dignified mating dress for me.
03:49Chloe deliberately chose a day when Brad was away on pack business to send me off.
03:53She walked me to the door.
03:54Even though Case can't get hard, at least you'll be spared the pain of bearing pups.
03:59Don't worry.
04:00An alpha who can't perform in that area is probably exceptional in every other.
04:04Honestly, none of what Chloe said had even crossed my mind.
04:07I told myself I was simply moving to a new housewife.
04:10Case was too weak to stand through the full maid blessing ritual.
04:13I completed the bond rites beside a ceremonial sword instead.
04:16Martha watched from the front, eyes wet the whole time.
04:18When it was done, I was alpha Case's maid.
04:20The mating chamber was quiet.
04:22I pushed the door open carefully.
04:23Case was already inside, half reclined against the headboard and a white bathrobe collar open at the throat.
04:28Face pale but composed.
04:29He turned when he heard me.
04:31I had no intention of taking a mate.
04:33If it doesn't trouble you, we can treat this as a sibling arrangement.
04:38Tonight the bed is yours.
04:40I'll take that.
04:41Tomorrow you move to the guest quarters.
04:43He had thought of everything.
04:44It wasn't what I'd expected.
04:45Alright.
04:46Before the ritual, one of the older maids had pulled me aside and pressed something into my hands.
04:50There are other ways between mates.
04:53You might find it useful.
04:55I had no idea what she meant until I opened it.
04:57Heat pooled in my core just from looking at the pages.
05:00Is it too hot?
05:01Case was watching me from the bed, eyes direct, unblinking.
05:04The dress is heavy.
05:06I'm a little warm.
05:10Then wash up and rest.
05:12He pulled the blanket over himself and turned toward the wall.
05:14Within minutes, his breathing evened out.
05:15I set the handbook down on the vanity and took down my hair.
05:18Then the layered robes piece by piece until I was standing in nothing but my nightgown.
05:22I turned to the mirror.
05:24The thin fabric clung to every curve.
05:25Heavy breasts straining against the cloth.
05:27Slim waist giving way to the flare of my hips.
05:30I'd spent years trying to hide this body.
05:31In a nightgown at midnight, there was nothing left to hide behind.
05:34I walked straight into Case's gaze.
05:36He wasn't asleep.
05:37His chest rose hard.
05:38The tips of his ears went red.
05:40His throat worked as he swallowed.
05:42I grabbed my outer robe and pressed it against my chest.
05:45Alpha, I thought you were asleep.
05:47A long pause.
05:48Low, restrained, like he was holding something back.
05:51I could sleep later.
05:52My breath hitched.
05:54He rose slowly to his feet, his tall frame casting a shadow over me.
05:57The handbook's images came flooding in.
05:59My breathing shifted without me meaning it to.
06:02Somehow falling into the same rhythm as his.
06:04Then Case turned and walked to the door.
06:06The moment cool night air rushed in, I snapped back to my senses.
06:10He'd already disappeared into the darkness.
06:12I turned it over in my mind.
06:14When he looked at me just now, his eyes had flashed with something unmistakably like shock.
06:19Had my figure actually frightened him?
06:21Before I lay down, I made a firm decision.
06:23Tomorrow morning, I was binding my chest at least one full loop tighter.
06:27I was hovering somewhere between sleep and waking when Case slipped back in.
06:31The tips of his hair still beaded with water.
06:33He'd apparently gone to shower.
06:35By morning, he was already gone.
06:37Ivy came in to help me dress.
06:39From the corridor outside came the sound of a man sneezing.
06:42Once, then again, then a third time.
06:44Martha's headmaid's voice carried clearly through the door.
06:48Alpha Case, why didn't you call someone to heat the water?
06:51It's already summer, but the nights are still cold.
06:54Of course you've caught a kill.
06:55I'll go brew tea right now.
06:56I glanced at Ivy.
06:57Does the Alpha usually take cold showers?
07:01I honestly don't know, miss.
07:04I dismissed her and locked the door.
07:07I wound a strip of cloth tied over my undergarments,
07:09then pulled on the most conservative dress I could find in the wardrobe.
07:12High neck, loose cut, heavy fabric.
07:14Then I went to living room.
07:15Case was already there when I arrived, seated beside Martha.
07:18She lit up the moment she saw me, her whole face warm with welcome,
07:21until Case coughed and the warmth vanished instantly.
07:24Case, I have a few private words for Leah.
07:26Go rest for a while.
07:28Case rose and left without a word.
07:30Martha waved me over and took both my hands on her, his eyes glistening.
07:35Sweet girl, our Case is lucky to have you.
07:38The warmth faded from her face.
07:39A quiet bitterness crept into her voice.
07:42The pack healer says the injury drained his life force.
07:45There's no telling how long he has left.
07:47Some of the elders suggested I find a child for him to adopt to carry on the bloodline.
07:54But if I did that, wouldn't I be stealing your whole future from you?
08:00I'm already grateful you came into this family to save Case.
08:03I can't let you sacrifice the rest of your life on top of that.
08:06I've thought it through.
08:07If Case's time does come, I'll have him issue you a formal mate release.
08:11Your future stays protected.
08:12I reached up and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes,
08:15chest tight with an ache I couldn't name.
08:17Mrs. Valerius, thank you for looking out for me.
08:20I had come here thinking of myself as nothing more than a transferred Omega servant.
08:25I never imagined she would think this far ahead on my behalf.
08:28My thoughts drifted to the mother I had never known.
08:31If she had been alive, if I had grown up under a mother's protection,
08:34I never would have ended up in any of the situations I'd been through.
08:37Look at me.
08:38I've gone and made you cry too.
08:40Leah, there's no need to be so formal.
08:42Call me mom, just like Case does.
08:44She squeezed my hands.
08:46Sweetheart, I have one more thing to ask.
08:48Chloe mentioned you know how to prepare medicinal soups.
08:51I'd like you to take over Case's daily meals and care.
08:55I just want him to live a little longer.
08:57That's my one selfish wish.
08:59By the end, her voice had gone rough.
09:01I nodded.
09:02I headed to the kitchen to gather ingredients.
09:05The last time I'd prepared medicinal soup was several years ago,
09:08back when Brad was not yet Chloe's mate.
09:10One day, I found him collapsed at our back gate and brought him around.
09:13Out of sympathy, I dug through my mother's old healer journals
09:16and prepared medicinal meals for him every day to rebuild his strength.
09:20Only the two of us ever knew about it.
09:21From the looks of things, he was the one who told Chloe,
09:23just to get me driven out.
09:24The lengths he had gone to were truly something.
09:26I carried the steaming soup to the bedroom
09:28and found Case directing servants to pack up his belongings.
09:34Alpha, what's this about?
09:36Weren't we agreed that I was moving to the guest room?
09:39I have fewer things.
09:40It makes more sense for me to move.
09:42His sharply handsome face didn't shift so much as a fraction.
09:45At least eat first.
09:50You can leave this kind of thing to the maid from now on.
09:56It's no different coming from me.
09:59It is different.
10:02Have Ivy bring it from now on.
10:04He finished the soup in a few quick swallows,
10:07said a few words to the servants,
10:09and swept past me.
10:10In that moment, I confirmed one thing.
10:12Alpha Case couldn't stand the sight of me.
10:14I followed his instructions
10:16and had Ivy deliver his daily healing meals to the study from then on.
10:20The pack healer says Case's condition has stabilized significantly.
10:24I can see the color coming back to his face.
10:27Leah, that's entirely because of you.
10:29Back in my room, I tucked it into my jewelry box,
10:32which had been slowly filling with pieces
10:34Martha had gifted me since my arrival.
10:36Leah, you never wear any of these.
10:38Isn't it a waste to just put them away?
10:42How is it a waste?
10:44Every one of these can be converted to cash.
10:46That's my security fund.
10:48But Lady Martha gave these to you personally.
10:50Are you really going to sell all of them?
10:53Not right now.
10:55But if the mate bond is ever severed,
10:57naturally I'd sell them and keep the money on hand.
10:59Ivy's expression shifted to pure bewilderment.
11:02As she turned away, she dropped her voice to a murmur.
11:05Alpha.
11:07I spun around and met a pair of ink-dark eyes.
11:10Case looked worse than ever.
11:12Case's face was even paler than before.
11:14His gaze was sharp and cutting,
11:15fixed on me with cold precision.
11:17The look unsettled me completely,
11:19but I didn't dare let a single trace of it show.
11:21Alpha, is there something you need?
11:23A journal.
11:24We looked together.
11:25I checked the shelves.
11:26He checked the writing desk.
11:28Neither of us spoke.
11:29I spotted the journal pushed to the very back of the top shelf
11:32behind a row of my mother's medical notes.
11:34I reached up on my toes.
11:35My fingertips just grazed the cover.
11:37Case's hand came over mine.
11:39Warm.
11:40Steady.
11:40He reached past me without effort
11:42and closed his hand around the journal.
11:44I turned my head.
11:45His face was right there.
11:47Closer than I'd realized.
11:49He was looking down at me.
11:50Then I lost my footing and pitched straight into him.
11:53My heavy breasts hit his chest first.
11:55My waist went straight into his palm,
11:57his hand catching me before he could react.
11:59Case didn't step back.
12:00His ear tips went red.
12:02His throat worked as he swallowed.
12:03When he exhaled,
12:04the breath came out uneven against the top of my head.
12:06I scrambled upright,
12:08face burning.
12:08Your journal.
12:09He took it without a word and walked out.
12:11Perfect.
12:12My standing in his eyes had just sunk even lower.
12:14After that day,
12:15I made every effort to avoid crossing paths with Case.
12:18He was injured and recovering.
12:20He needed to stay calm.
12:21But there was one more thing bothering me.
12:23Brad had been sending notes three times already.
12:25I hadn't opened a single one.
12:26Just dropped them in a box.
12:27Then Ivy pressed one into my hand that morning
12:29and lowered my voice.
12:30It's not just a note this time.
12:31He's here.
12:32Side entrance.
12:33Says he won't leave until you come out.
12:35I clenched my fist and walked out.
12:37I didn't notice the figure that followed
12:38from the far end of the courtyard.
12:40Brad was standing at the gate.
12:41You finally came.
12:42You should be calling me Mrs. Valerius.
12:44I said.
12:45He paused.
12:45Mrs. Valerius.
12:46Do you have any idea
12:48how many times you've put me
12:50in an impossible position with these meetings?
12:52I just wanted to tell you
12:53I'll be securing more power in the pack.
12:55Soon I won't need Chloe's father backing me anymore.
12:58He stepped closer.
12:59I'll buy a house, Leah.
13:00Come with me.
13:01Anything's better than staying with a dying man.
13:03He reached for me.
13:04I stepped back.
13:05You want me as your mistress?
13:07I laughed.
13:08Why would I give up being the Alpha's mate
13:10to be your mistress?
13:11The whole pack knows Case is dying.
13:13He won't last.
13:14And he can't even get hard anymore.
13:16His eyes drop deliberately to my chest.
13:19Isn't that a waste?
13:20I will never be anyone's mistress.
13:21Those injuries are his honor.
13:24You've benefited from every battle he won
13:26and you're standing here calling him less of a man?
13:28You're the one who's less.
13:30Come near me again
13:31and every note you've sent
13:32goes straight to Chloe.
13:34How do you think?
13:35That ends for you.
13:36His face went white.
13:37I swung the gate shut.
13:39I turned around
13:41and came face to face with Case.
13:42White shirt standing less than half a foot away,
13:45his full height bearing down on me.
13:47I managed.
13:48Alpha.
13:49A faint edge flickered across his expression.
13:52Wasn't it
13:53my mate just a moment ago?
13:55Why so formal all of a sudden?
13:56Please don't misunderstand.
13:58As long as I'm in this estate,
13:59I honor this bond
14:01completely.
14:02I looked down
14:03and started walking.
14:04Fast.
14:05It's getting late.
14:05I should go make your evening meal.
14:07I moved step past him.
14:08His hand closed around the mirror.
14:10I lost my foot and I pitched straight into him.
14:12My heavy breath against his chest.
14:14My waist caught in his breath.
14:16I looked up.
14:17His face was inches from mine.
14:18His eyes were deep and unreadable.
14:21One tilt forward
14:22and our lips would have touched.
14:23His breath hit my face.
14:25Warm.
14:26My breath hitched.
14:27Heat pooled low in my core.
14:29Case swallowed hard.
14:31As long as I remain in this estate.
14:33Each word slow.
14:34Deliberate.
14:35Are you counting down the days
14:37until you can leave?
14:38I couldn't exactly tell him
14:40I'll leave the day you die.
14:41No.
14:42Nothing like that.
14:44Alpha.
14:44I shifted in his grip.
14:46You're hurting my arm.
14:47Did you mean every word you said just now?
14:49I blinked and asked which part.
14:51Which part?
14:52He let out a quiet breath
14:54and released me.
14:55I bolted
14:55and I noticed
14:56for the first time
14:57his face had actual color in it.
14:59His cheeks were just as red as mine.
15:02That night
15:02I had a strange dream.
15:04Case's lips grazed slowly along my cheek.
15:06His fingers hooked into the strap of my slip
15:08voice dropping to a low murmur.
15:10Does my Luna want this?
15:11I nodded like someone
15:13completely under a spell.
15:14Then a fierce consuming kiss
15:15caught my lips
15:16and wouldn't let go.
15:17I jolted awake
15:18in a tangle of sheets.
15:19Heart still hammering.
15:20Breathless.
15:21Ivy knocked and came in.
15:22I asked her to bring
15:23a basin of cold water.
15:24She stared at my sweat damp hair
15:26and murmured
15:26It really is getting hotter.
15:28I splashed cold water
15:29onto my face
15:30and then it hit me
15:31that first night.
15:31Case.
15:32Cold shower.
15:32Surely he hadn't also been
15:34no impossible.
15:35He was injured and recovering.
15:36He was supposed to be
15:37keeping himself calm.
15:38At midday
15:38Martha's attendant arrived.
15:40Martha would like dinner
15:41in the garden tonight.
15:42She asks that you be sure to come.
15:44I'd been making excuses
15:45to avoid the main dining hall
15:46for days
15:47just to steer clear of Case.
15:48But Martha had gone out of her way
15:50to personally extend the invitation.
15:51I couldn't say no.
15:52I stepped into the garden.
15:53A sprawling rose of Sharon
15:55was in full bloom.
15:56A gust of wind shook loose.
15:57A handful of deep crimson petals
15:59drifting down
15:59onto the stone table.
16:01Martha smiled
16:02and gestured for me to say
16:03Case mentioned
16:03it's your birthday today.
16:05He's the one who asked
16:06the kitchen to prepare
16:07all of this.
16:08I looked up
16:09and met a pair of burning
16:10intent eyes.
16:12Heat rushed straight
16:13to my face.
16:14Case slid a plate
16:15of chestnut cake
16:16in front of me
16:16without changing his expression.
16:18My birth mother
16:18died bringing me
16:19into the world.
16:20How did you know
16:21today was my birthday?
16:22I'd completely
16:23forgotten it myself.
16:24No one had ever
16:25once marked the day for me.
16:26It's not difficult
16:27to know it.
16:28Something in my chest
16:29gave one quiet
16:31inexplicable pull.
16:32Leah,
16:32this peach blossom wine
16:34is from my private reserve.
16:36I'm opening it
16:36just for you.
16:38But you two
16:39had better not drink
16:40too much.
16:40She pushed back
16:41her chair,
16:42said the summer evening
16:43breeze was too much
16:44for her old bones
16:45and left.
16:46The garden went quiet.
16:47To avoid the silence
16:48I put my head down
16:49and drank.
16:50One cup,
16:50then another,
16:51then another.
16:52The wine was sweet
16:52and dangerously potent.
16:54Before long,
16:54the edges of everything
16:55had gone soft and blurry.
16:56Case watched me
16:57but said nothing.
16:58By the third glass
16:59I'd stopped feeling
17:00the awkward silence.
17:01By the fourth
17:02I'd stopped feeling
17:03much of anything.
17:05I reached across the table
17:06toward the last piece
17:07of chestnut cake.
17:08Where's the last piece?
17:10I looked up.
17:10I ate it.
17:11I have absolutely
17:12no idea
17:13where the boldness came from.
17:14I leaned straight
17:15toward his face.
17:16Who told you to eat that?
17:18Spit it back out?
17:19I pressed against his chest
17:20trying to peer
17:21into his mouth.
17:21You won't find it that way.
17:23Case looked down
17:23at me perfectly calm.
17:25Then how am I
17:25supposed to find it?
17:26I straightened up
17:27and stared at him.
17:28A faint flush
17:29crept across his cheeks.
17:30Try using your mouth.
17:30My gaze drifted
17:31to his slightly redden lips.
17:33I swallowed once
17:34and kissed him
17:35without hesitation.
17:37Case went rigid
17:37his breathing
17:38lurching unsteady.
17:39Then control shifted.
17:41His hand cupped
17:41the back of my head
17:42and he pressed in deeper.
17:44Harder.
17:45Alpha
17:45The night air is cool.
17:47Lady Martha asked me
17:48to bring you both a wrap.
17:50Neither of us
17:50pulled away
17:51until footsteps
17:51sounded from behind
17:52the flower bed.
17:53I had no idea
17:54how much I'd seen.
17:55I shot to my feet
17:56and the next instant
17:57the world tilted.
17:58Everything went dark.
17:59When I woke up
17:59with a splitting headache
18:00it was already morning.
18:01I suddenly remembered
18:03I'd promised Michael
18:04to visit Case's father's grave.
18:06It was late.
18:07I started rushing around
18:08for my things.
18:10Leah, don't worry.
18:11The driver is still
18:12getting the car ready.
18:14Ivy,
18:16was it you
18:16who brought me back
18:17last night?
18:18No.
18:18The Alpha carried you back.
18:19I spun around
18:20to check her face.
18:21She nodded,
18:22completely serious.
18:23I didn't say anything stupid,
18:24did I?
18:25Ivy bit back a smile.
18:26Well,
18:27the Alpha set you down
18:28on the bed
18:28and you grabbed his sleeve
18:29and wouldn't let go.
18:30You kept calling
18:31my mate
18:32over and over
18:33until his whole face
18:35went red.
18:36Ivy,
18:37don't you dare
18:37make things up!
18:38She covered her mouth
18:39laughing and ran out.
18:41I met Martha
18:41at the front entrance.
18:43Case's father's grave
18:44was on a hillside
18:45just beyond
18:45the pack territory.
18:46I sat in the back
18:47of the car,
18:48completely distracted,
18:49replaying the moment
18:50I'd kissed Case last night.
18:52Martha must have
18:53misread my expression.
18:54Leah,
18:55is there someone
18:56you have feelings for?
18:57I've noticed
18:58you've been avoiding
18:59Case these past few days.
19:01Please,
19:01this Farnas Kissening,
19:03please don't be upset
19:04with me for pushing
19:05you two together
19:06at dinner last night.
19:07I thought if the two of you
19:09couldn't be mates,
19:10you could at least
19:10be friends.
19:11But if you're uncomfortable
19:13or if you want to leave,
19:15just say.
19:16I'll have him
19:16sever the bond.
19:17I won't let you
19:18be trapped here.
19:19Mom,
19:20no,
19:20it's not that.
19:21I was thinking
19:21about something else.
19:22What is it?
19:23I was still figuring out
19:25how to answer
19:26when the car lurched.
19:27The engine screamed.
19:29The car swung hard
19:30with tires off the road
19:31crashing through brush,
19:32the whole frame shaking.
19:33I grabbed Martha
19:34and looked at the driver,
19:35slumped over the wheels,
19:36unconscious,
19:37no one to hit the brakes.
19:39I had a lift,
19:40straight ahead.
19:40Martha grabbed my arm.
19:42Leah,
19:42what do we do?
19:44We jump now.
19:45Whatever hurt you now
19:46will be hurt.
19:47We'll die if we don't.
19:49Hold on to me.
19:50I wrapped myself around her
19:51and we threw ourselves clear
19:52the instant the wheels
19:53left solid ground.
19:54We hit the cliff edge
19:55and went over it.
19:57My hand shut out
19:57and caught a root
19:58shut out in the walk face.
20:00My other hand locked
20:01around Martha's wrist.
20:02Below her was a straight drop
20:04into nothing.
20:07Mom,
20:08don't look down.
20:09Hold on to me.
20:10Ivy and the others
20:11are right behind us
20:12in the second car.
20:13They'll be here soon.
20:14The root groaned
20:15under our weight.
20:17Let me go.
20:18We're too heavy.
20:19It's going to snap.
20:20I'm old.
20:21I've lived my life.
20:23You have to keep
20:24living yours.
20:26Mom,
20:27I would rather die
20:28with you
20:29than watch you fall.
20:30Hold on.
20:31They're coming.
20:32My arms are going down.
20:33The pain had gone so deep
20:34it had stopped
20:35feeling like pain at all.
20:37Leah,
20:38don't move.
20:38I'm coming down.
20:39He climbed down
20:40the cliff face.
20:41A strong arm
20:41came under me.
20:43He'd called me
20:44by my name
20:45the first time.
20:46He untied the rope
20:47from his own body
20:48and looped it around
20:48my waist.
20:49Then climbed down further
20:50and did the same
20:51for Martha.
20:51The people above
20:53pulled together.
20:54We came up
20:54one at a time.
20:55It wasn't a hallucination.
20:57Case had saved us.
20:58He held me,
20:59brow creased.
21:01Why is there
21:02so much blood?
21:02Martha clutched
21:03her face,
21:04sobbing.
21:04She shielded me
21:05when we jumped.
21:07I didn't get a scratch.
21:09It's all hers.
21:12My eyelids felt like lead.
21:19Leah,
21:20don't sleep.
21:21I'm taking you to Ella.
21:22He lifted me into the car
21:23and I stayed curled
21:24against his chest.
21:25His forehead was damp
21:26with sweat.
21:26He kept one hand
21:27on the wheel
21:28and kept talking.
21:29Leah,
21:30stay awake.
21:31I'll get you chestnut cake.
21:33I'll give you all the jewelry
21:34you want to sell.
21:35You don't have to wait
21:36for me to die.
21:38I'll write the bond release today.
21:40You can leave
21:41whenever you want.
21:42My chest kept clenching.
21:44Something wet
21:45hit my face.
21:46I looked up at the sky
21:47through the windshield.
21:48It wasn't raining.
21:49It wasn't raining.
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