Chapter 61

ARIA'S POV

“Dante! Dante!!” I cried out, my voice shaking with panic as I knelt beside him, gripping his shoulders.

His eyes were closed, his face pale, and his body felt far too still under my touch.

I shook him, desperate, hoping that somehow I could wake him up. But there was nothing - no response. Just his shallow breathing, barely there, and the slow trickle of blood staining the ground beneath him.

“Dante, please!” I shouted again, louder this time. “Don’t do this to me! Wake up! Come on!!”

Good grief! What was I supposed to do?

“My phone… where’s my phone?”

I quickly started rummaging through the dirt and leaves, my hands shaking as I searched for it. “Come on,” I whispered. “Where is it?”

Finally, my fingers brushed against something solid, and I snatched up the phone.

Without wasting time, I quickly unlocked the screen, my fingers fumbling over the keys as I scrolled through my contacts. My hands shook so badly I almost dropped it.