The Stranger I Married-Chapter 124: nightmare losing her

The penthouse was silent except for the low hum of the city far below, a soft hush that barely filtered up through the double-glazed windows. The bedroom was bathed in shadows, lit only by the faint, silvery glow of the moon. Nicholas slept sitting up, propped against the headboard, one arm curved protectively around Ella’s waist. Even in sleep, his body curved instinctively to shelter hers.

Ella dozed fitfully against him, lulled by the warmth of his chest and the steady, even beat of his heart. But somewhere in the deep hours before dawn, that rhythm changed.

Nicholas’s breathing began to hitch, his chest rising in uneven bursts. His fingers twitched against her shirt. A faint sound escaped his lips—something low and pained.

"No," he murmured, voice rough with sleep and fear. "No, please."

Ella stirred, but didn’t wake. She shifted closer, sighing softly. Her hair brushed against his jaw.

His dream twisted darker.

He was back at the crash site. Sirens screamed. Rain lashed down, soaking him to the bone. Glass littered the street in glittering shards. The car door was crumpled in on itself, the window shattered. He fought to get it open, muscles burning with panic. He could see Ella inside—still, silent, her head lolling unnaturally.

He slammed his fist against the glass. Again. Again. Blood seeped from his knuckles. The metal refused to yield. He screamed her name but the storm swallowed the sound. His breath came in ragged gasps as paramedics pushed him back. He couldn’t reach her. Couldn’t touch her. Couldn’t save her.

And then the world went quiet.

A sheet pulled over a body.

Her body.

Nicholas jolted awake with a strangled gasp.

The room was dark and still, but his chest heaved as though he’d run miles. His heart slammed against his ribs in sickening, heavy thuds. Sweat slicked his forehead, dampening the hair at his temples. His hand clenched the blanket so hard the fabric bunched in his fist.

Beside him, Ella stirred at his sudden movement. Her sleepy eyes cracked open, blinking up at him in confusion.

"Nicholas?" Her voice was husky, soft. "What’s wrong?"

He couldn’t answer.

He couldn’t speak.

He let out a shuddering breath and pulled her tighter against him, burying his face in her hair. His entire body trembled with a cold that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room.

Ella’s hand slid to his back, palm warm and steady. "Hey... hey, I’m here," she whispered, her thumb stroking small, soothing circles between his shoulder blades. "You’re okay. I’m okay."

But he couldn’t stop shaking.

He kept seeing the crash, the blood, the finality of that white sheet. It felt real—so real he half-expected to wake again, to find the bed empty beside him.

His voice, when it came, was ragged and low. "I thought I lost you." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Ella’s breath caught.

"I dreamed I couldn’t get to you," he continued, words rushing out in a hoarse whisper. "I saw the car. I saw you. And I couldn’t reach you. I couldn’t save you. They... they pulled me back. And you were just... gone."

A soft, wounded noise slipped from his throat.

She’d never heard him sound like this—so cracked open, so raw.

Ella shifted so she could cup his face in both hands, her thumbs brushing the tear tracks that glistened faintly in the moonlight. His eyes were wild, pupils blown wide, haunted. She kissed his forehead, then his cheeks, soft and slow, as if gathering him back into himself.

"I’m here," she whispered, over and over. "I’m right here. You didn’t lose me."

He clung to her, pulling her into his lap so she straddled his thighs. The blanket fell away from her shoulders, but neither noticed. His arms wrapped around her so tightly it almost hurt, his face pressed into her neck like he needed to feel her heartbeat on his skin to believe it was real.

"I can’t lose you," he breathed, voice ragged. "I can’t. You’re... you’re everything."

"I’m not going anywhere," she promised. Her hands threaded through his hair, combing it back from his damp forehead. "I’m not leaving you. You hear me?"

A broken, strangled sound escaped him—half laugh, half sob. His chest shook against hers.

She kissed his eyelids, his nose, his lips, slow and tender. "You saved me," she said softly. "You were there when I woke up. You didn’t let go."

He nodded, but his breathing was still uneven, each inhale shaky. He rested his forehead against hers, eyes squeezed shut. "I keep seeing it. Over and over. I can’t stop."

Ella took his face in her hands again, tilting it so he’d meet her gaze. "Then look at me now. See me. I’m here. I’m alive."

Nicholas’s eyes locked with hers. His own were glassy, silvered with unshed tears. Slowly, the nightmare ebbed. Her warm hands, her steady voice, her breath ghosting across his lips—those were real. She was real.

He kissed her—desperate at first, then softer, lips lingering like he was afraid she might vanish if he let go. She kissed him back with equal care, her fingers threading down to cradle his neck.

Their kiss broke only so she could whisper, "We’ll get through this. Together."

He exhaled, shuddering, and buried his face in the curve of her shoulder, breathing her in until his own breath slowed to match hers. She rocked him gently, holding him like he’d held her countless times.

Minutes passed in the hush of the dark. The only sounds were their breathing, the faint hum of the city beyond the windows, and the soft rustle of sheets.

Finally, Nicholas loosened his grip just enough to shift them back down into the bed. He tucked the blankets around her, curling himself behind her with an arm draped over her waist, his body curved protectively along hers.

His face pressed into her hair. His voice, low and rough, whispered, "Sleep. I’ll keep you safe."

She reached back to rest her hand on his cheek. "And I’ll keep you safe, too."

In the quiet, they drifted together, breaths evening out, bodies warm and close. Each found comfort in the other’s heartbeat, knowing the terror of loss had been chased away by the simplest, most powerful truth: they were here, together, in the soft darkness of the night.