Three days

Aiden's POV

Marian hadn't woken up.

Three days.

Seventy-two hours.

Four thousand, three hundred, and twenty goddamn minutes.

And she was still unconscious.

The monitors beeped steadily beside her, a cruel reminder that she was alive but not here. Not really. The doctors assured me that her body was just recovering from the surgery, that she would wake up soon.

But soon wasn't fast enough.

I sat beside her, elbows resting on my knees, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest. The steady rhythm of her breathing was the only thing keeping me from completely losing my mind.

My phone buzzed on the small table next to me, another meeting reminder flashing across the screen. I didn't even glance at it before reaching over and silencing the notification.

Liam had handled the cancellations. Every single meeting, every obligation—rescheduled. Indefinitely. Nothing mattered until Marian opened her eyes.

Nothing.