Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 176

Chapter 176

Aubrey couldn’t stop the spiral of rage and agony. Her mind was entirely consumed by the child she’d lost, a haunting loop of self–loathing and resentment toward the world.

Why did every tragedy have to find her? Why was she the target for every bit of misfortune the universe had to offer?

It felt as if a giant hand was reaching into her chest, clawing at her heart and trying to rip it out, leaving nothing but a bloody, jagged hole. The agony was more than she could bear.

Tracy clung to her with every ounce of strength she had, trying to anchor her.

Aubrey’s face was a mask of tears as she let out a raw, gut–wrenching sob that seemed to tear through the very air.

Her tortured cries drew the attention of nearby patients out for their walks, and a group of nurses came rushing toward them.

What happened?” one of the nurses asked, her voice tight with alarm.

Tracy, who had never seen Aubrey in such a state of total collapse, shook her head through her own tears.“She… she has depression,” she choked out, her voice trembling.“I don’t know what triggered it. She just started screaming and wouldn’t stop hitting herself.”

The nurse watched the intensity of the breakdown, her expression shifting. It looked like more than just a depressive episode. “Is she bipolar?” she asked, trying to gauge the severity of the situation.

Tracy nodded frantically, but then her eyes caught a tall, familiar figure sprinting toward them from across the lawn.

Relief washed over her like a lifeline thrown to a drowning woman.“Damon!” she screamed, her voice breaking.“Damon, over here! Please, hurry!”

Damon skidded to a halt, his face pale with a mixture of grim determination and sheer panic. He dropped to one knee in front of them, instantly reaching out to pull Aubrey from Tracy’s arms and into his own.

With his superior strength, he pulled Aubrey’s shaking body flush against the solid warmth of his chest, holding her tight as if he could physically keep her from shattering into pieces.

His ragged breath ghosted against her ear as he tightened his grip, physically pinning her arms to stop her from hurting herself. His voice was a soft, grounding murmur, a lifeline amidst her chaos.“Bree… it’s okay. Let it out. I know it hurts, I know how much you’re suffering. Just cry, baby, give it all o me. But don’t give up on yourself. Don’t you dare give up on us. Think about me… please, just think about me.”

Aubrey’s fingers curled into claws, fistfuls of his shirt bunched in her hands. She sobbed into his chest until the fabric was soaked through, her entire Jody racking with violent, uncontrollable tremors.

The agony in her heart was so sharp that logic simply ceased to exist. In that dark moment, the only escape seemed to be the end–an end to the pain, an md to the suffocating weight of everything.

Damon kept chanting it against her skin, a desperate, broken prayer. “Think about me…”

Think of him. The thought pierced through the fog.

If she left this world, what would happen to Damon?

He loved her with a ferocity that defied reason. No matter how much she was hurting, no matter how heavy the darkness felt, she had to be brave. She had to stay–fur húm

The realization slowly anchored her, pushing back the overwhelming tide of grief.

Gradually, the gut–wrenching waits faded into shallow, hirching breaths The sharp edge of the pain began to dull, leaving het bellow and spe. Every ounce of strength drained from her limbs, and she finally went limp, collapsing completely into the safety of Damon’s embrace.

Tracy scrambled to her feet, wiping her eyes as she reached for the insulated lunch bos Damon had brought Seeing the mall crowd that bad gathered around them, she bowed her head in apology “I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to cause mene

Seeing how polite and shaken the girl was, the bystanders softened, offering quiet words of comfon “It’s alright, boney ‘s understandable being takes a toll on anyone’s emotions. We get it”

“I hope things get better soon”

They murmured a few more kind words before eventually drifting away

A nurse stepped forward, her expression professional yet concerned. “Is she suffering from severe clinical depression or bipolar disorder? Do we newd to get her to the ER for a sedative?”

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< Chapter 176

No, but thank you,” Tracy replied, offering a polite, weary nod of appreciation.

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As Aubrey finally began to settle into a fragile calm, Damon swept her up into his arms, carrying her bridal–style back toward the inpatient building.

Tracy followed close behind, clutching the lunch box Damon had brought and the bag of fruit from Sierra.

Once they were back in the ward, Damon laid Aubrey gently onto the hospital bed and tucked the covers around her. He turned to pull the curtains hut, blocking out the harsh, glaring sunlight and bathing the room in a soft, muted glow.

He returned to the bedside and pulled up a chair. Taking Aubrey’s ice–cold, trembling hands in his, he rubbed them slowly with his warm palms, trying o chase away the chill.“Bree,” he whispered, his voice low and soothing, “breathe with me. Inhale for four seconds…. hold it for two… now slowly, exhale or six…”

Aubrey was still sobbing, her body racked with involuntary shivers, but she did as he said, desperately trying to sync her breathing to his rhythm.

Damon guided her through it again and again, his patience seemingly infinite.

lowly… so slowly…

Tracy stood off to the side, watching them with bated breath, her face a mask of sheer anxiety.

After a long while, Aubrey finally settled into a state of total calm.

but it was a hollow sort of peace–the kind of emotional paralysis that sets in after a period of agonizing pain and grief.

he lay back on the bed, her face ghostly pale and her eyes vacant. Aside from the occasional reflexive tremor, she was as still and silent as a pool of

tagnant water.

Damon held her hands–hands that refused to warm up no matter how much he rubbed them–and pressed them against his lips.“Bree,” he murmured enderly,“don’t be afraid. I’m going to be right here by your side. I’ll help you through this darkness, and we’ll beat this thing together. I’m going to be with you every step of the way, through your recovery… and for the rest of our lives, until we’re old and gray.”

Don’t feel like you’re alone, and don’t feel like this is all for nothing. You still have me. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

[racy chimed in, her voice thick with emotion.“Me too, Aubrey. Our whole family is right here with you. We’re going to get through this together, I

>romise.”

Aubrey’s face was deathly pale, drained of every drop of color. Her gaze remained vacant, fixed on a far corner of the room as she stared into

othingness. She didn’t say a word; her breath was so shallow it was barely there.

Seeing that she had finally stabilized, Damon turned his gaze toward Tracy.“Why did you take her outside?” he asked, his voice low and strained.

The weather was so beautiful today,” Tracy explained softly.“When Aubrey woke up, she was just… catatonic. She wasn’t reacting to anything. I hought some fresh air and sunshine might help lift her spirits a little.”

“What triggered the breakdown?”

“Sierra stopped by with her son to visit,” Tracy said, pulling a chair over to the bedside to face Damon.“At first, Aubrey actually seemed to be doing better. She was playing with Buddy, making him laugh–it was the most life I’d seen in her all day. But the second they left, she just snapped. She started sobbing hysterically, clawing at her chest and screaming… I’ve never seen anything like it. I was terrified.”

Damon took in the information, his heart aching as his eyes drifted back to Aubrey. He gently took her hand, tucked it under the heavy comforter, anul smoothed the blankets over her frail frame.

“Thanks for being here, Tracy. Go home and get some rest. I’ll take it from here.”

“Okay, Damon. Call me the second you need anything, alright?”

Damon gave a small, weary nod.

Tracy gathered her things and moved to the bedside, intending to say goodbye, but she saw that Aubrey had already drifted off

In the past, Aubrey had been a prisoner of insomnia, spending endless nights staring at the ceiling, unable to find rest.

Now, she was plagued by hypersomnia–a heavy, suffocating sleep born of total emotional burnout, mental numbness, and a crushing physical lethargy.

It was the kind of exhaustion that no amount of rest could fix; even after sleeping for over ten hours, she would wake up trapped in a thick, impenetrable fog.

This time, Aubrey slept straight through from the peak of day until the dead of night.

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