Chapter 325
“Alright, you two go ahead.” Tilda waved them off, all ease and smiles. She stepped into Van’s hospital room, still smiling, but his face stayed cold and distant as soon as he saw her.
“Why are you here?” he asked, his tone flat.
Tilda shot him a look, refusing to let him get under her skin. “Heard you nearly died. I figured I’d come by to catch the excitement for myself p>
Van turned his face away, not even bothering to hide his annoyance. “Well, you’ve seen the show. You can leave now p>
“How long are you planning to sulk like this?” Tilda fired back, her patience fraying. “You barely scraped by this time, and you don’t have a single thing you want to say to me p>
Just thinking about how close she’d come to losing him made her anger bubble
over.
“Tilda, there’s no future for us. There’s no point waiting around,” Van said, his voice tired. “Your life is full of light and possibilities. Mine’s just danger after danger. That’s not what you want p>
He tried to speak gently, but Tilda could hear the finality in his words. She’d told him before that she grew up watching her mom worry every single day while her dad worked dangerous jobs. She promised herself she’d never marry a man who put her through that.
But Van had made different choices. He chose this path, knowing it went against everything she wanted for her future. Whenever people asked, he just told them she wasn’t his type, that they were a bad match.
“Why are you so stubborn, Van?” Tilda couldn’t help it, she wanted to toss her purse at him in frustration. She even unclipped it from her shoulder, but when she saw how pale and exhausted he looked, she just set it back down.
“I’m not being stubborn,” Van answered, meeting her eyes. “I just don’t want to keep you tied to me. You’re not getting any younger. Your family keeps pressuring you to settle down. You’d be better off finding a good man and getting married p>
“A ‘good man’? Are you kidding me?” Tilda’s voice shook, her anger sharp and messy. “Alright then, tell me who you think is right for me. Pick somebody from our friends, I’ll go marry him. Whoever you pick, I’ll do it. Sound good p>
Her eyes filled with tears, but she didn’t look away.
Van let out a long, heavy sigh. “You can only marry someone you actually love. How could I decide that for you p>
Tilda gave a bitter little laugh. “So you do get it. The one I want is you. Why are you the only person who doesn’t p>
This wasn’t the first time they’d gone in circles over this.
“Can you handle seeing me like this, knowing it could happen again?” Van asked, low and quiet.
Tilda couldn’t find words. She knew
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her answer anyway. She couldn’t. She couldn’t live with the fear, couldn’t wake up from dreams him battered and broken. She wanted a life she could count on, something steady, something safe.
“You’re this badly hurt and you still refuse to switch jobs?” Her voice trembled now. “I’m not saying you should give it all up. Just take a keep
a difference, just don’t go to the front lines. I talked to Walden about it. He agreed with me p>
saferposition you go
She tried not to sound desperate. This compromise seemed so fair, so obvious— why did Van always refuse?
“Tilda, I watched my team die protecting me, one after another. If I walked away now, I’d see their faces every time I closed my eyes. I’m their captain. I can’t just leave them behind p>
He struggled to find words, the pain of it etched deep in his voice.
Tilda starea down, drained and heartsick “I can’t handle you doing this jobzanymore, Van. But it’d hurt even more to lose you for good, then settle for anyone else you think is right’ for me p>
That got his attention. He lifted his head, looking at her for the first time without anger. “What do you mean p>
Tilda took a shaky breath. “Van, get better. Then, when you are, ask me to marry you p>
She left those words hanging in the air, turned around, and walked out of the room without waiting for him to respond.