Massive Demolition Fees and a Family Emergency

I spent two weeks in the hospital recovering, with Nathan by my side the entire time.

During the day, I focused on my rehabilitation while he worked on his laptop in the next room. Sometimes, I would sneak over to check on him.

Nathan had a striking look, especially when he was dressed in a suit for work. Honestly, he was so handsome it took my breath away.

"Nathan, how come you're so good-looking?" I found myself asking more than once, completely mesmerized.

He'd always respond with mock seriousness, "Julia, you might want to wipe that drool off your chin. Can't have anyone seeing you like this."

"Pfft! What's the harm? You're my boyfriend, and I can look at you however I want. No one else gets a say in that."

"Touché. You've got a point there."

Nathan's company had gone public two years ago, so he was busier than ever. Still, he spent nearly all his time at the hospital with me, and I felt a twinge of guilt about it.

I'd gently nudge him, saying, "You know, you can head to the office. Just swing by in the evenings to see me."

Every time, he'd look at me with such intensity. "Julia, you're the most important thing in my life. Nothing else matters. Just hang in there a little longer. I'll be done with work soon."

When boredom struck, Nathan would keep me entertained with movies or stories about the past six years.

Yet, he never mentioned anything about his own life during that time.

I didn't pry; I simply remarked, "I must've hit the jackpot running into you. If it were anyone else, they'd have ditched me ages ago."

He squeezed my hand, replying, "Julia, I'm the lucky one for having you. You'll always come first in my heart."

Emma hadn't come by since that day, so I asked Nathan, "Emma said she'd visit, but I haven't seen her. What happened?"

He replied casually, "She's out of town on a business trip. Won't be back for a month."

"Oh, she seems to have changed so much. What's up with that?"

"People change, Julia. It's just life."

I quipped, "And you? You're still the same old Nathan."

He looked at me seriously. "In your presence, I'll never change. I'll always be your Nathan."

My cheeks flushed again. "Who says you haven't changed? You used to be so quiet, and now you're a smooth talker."

Nathan pressed my hand to his lips, saying, "I only say these things to you."

With Nathan around, my recovery was anything but dull. In fact, I found this new life to be quite cozy, almost like stepping back in time to six years ago.

Except for one thing: ever since I woke up, I'd been plagued by nightmares every night.

Oddly enough, they were always the same. In my dreams, a dark figure would loom over me, whispering that it wanted to eat me.

I laughed it off and told Nathan about the nightmare, but he insisted it was because I was overthinking things during the day.

"I'm not a worrywart! I'm as carefree as they come. Honestly, I feel like I'm sleeping better than ever. I can sleep through the night and sometimes even snooze half the day away. I'm practically a pig!"

For some reason, when Nathan heard this, his expression darkened. I caught him asking the doctors more than once why I was becoming increasingly drowsy.

The doctors couldn't provide any clear answers. They mentioned that my waking up was already a medical miracle. In fact, they said I was the only case in the world of someone who had slept for years and then returned to normalcy.

To put it bluntly, they warned that with my condition, it was possible I could slip back into a coma at any time.