Can’t Win Me Back by Ginger Sue

Landon sat by the bedside, lifting Lauren's bruised hand and gently pressing it to his cheek. He rubbed her hand tenderly against his cheek before placing a delicate kiss on her palm.

This was also how he typically showed her affection. He treated her like an incredibly fragile and precious object, guarding her with unwavering devotion.

He had cared for her diligently, yet those monsters had mercilessly ravaged his beloved, dragging her through the mire and shattering her.

"Lauren, I'm right here. Open your eyes and look at me, will you?" he implored, tears welling in his eyes, his lips quivering with emotion. "Wake up... Don't leave me alone."

In the end, he remained seated like that until daybreak.

Early the next day, Javier, accompanied by Rory, arrived to visit Lauren.

Jasper was sitting outside the hospital ward. He hadn't slept all night. A conflicted look came across his eyes when he saw Javier, but he stood up anyway.

"Have you been sitting here all night without sleeping?" Javier was surprised to see the dark circles beneath Jasper's eyes.

Jasper replied coldly, "Yeah. I wasn't sleepy."

hasn't it? The longest someone can go without sleep is seven days. You could end up dying a sudden death!" he

eyes met. The atmosphere

eyes widened slightly. He couldn't believe that Javier

used

his throat. "I had Rory buy some breakfast. You haven't

carrying two boxes of takeout. He

portion for Cornelius. Bring it over to him later. He's a picky eater, and he said that the hospital food tastes bland. He specified that

he added in a casual tone, "I heard that Alyssa was also here all night. I got breakfast for her too. Let's

He stared at Javier and asked, "What did you

before explaining, "She has been helping out a lot since that incident

pressed his lips together. The look on his face was as prideful as usual. "Although I don't really like her, she did help my daughter. So, I should show

was stunned. He had mixed feelings about what

these and smiled

was as if Javier and Jasper were