Chapter 163 I love you
June's POV
Tears slide down my face as Hermes tightens his arms around me, locking me against him like his body alone could stop the bomb strapped to my chest.
I try to push at him, but he’s immovable—too strong, too determined, too terrified.
"The detonator was fake!" someone shouts behind us. "It wasn’t wired directly to the vest—!"
My heart lurches so violently I almost collapse.
"I’M NOT LEAVING HER!" Hermes’s voice rips through the chaos. It’s raw. Ragged. Breaking.
I force myself to breathe. My hands shake. My knees feel like water.
"Hermes… please—go," I whisper, but the word sounds drowned.
"I’m not leaving you," he bites out, gripping my face like I might disappear.
I look at him blankly through tears. I can feel my legs giving out beneath me.
"P-please…" I choke out. "Let me go so they can work. If you want me to live—" My voice cracks. "Let me go!"
I’m angry—at the situation, at the fear choking me, at the fact that I survived kidnapping, torture, trauma, all of it—only for this to happen when help finally arrived.
I don’t want to die.
Not now.
Not with him right here.
Not with our baby inside me.
Hell. No.
Hermes finally tears himself away from me. His whole body trembles. His jaw locks. Every muscle in his face twists like he’s holding himself together by sheer force.
"Please save her," he pleads—Hermes Grande, the cold CEO—clutching the bomb tech’s wrist like a drowning man.
I swallow hard and force myself to stand still, to breathe, to be strong. If I told him about the baby, he’d lose control. He would never let anyone touch me, and we don’t have that luxury.
"We’ll do everything we can while our team searches for the real detonator," the bomb expert says.
I nod, stepping toward them. Offering myself.
My mind drifts, blurry, flickering through memories—meeting Hermes, the bar, the hotel room, his office, his bed, his hands, his voice. Chaos and comfort. Fear and safety. Him.
What would my life have been if I never accepted Leila’s stupid dare?
If I never approached him?
If we never met?
Would it have been easier? Cleaner?
Probably.
Better?
…No.
I look at him—my cold, complicated, infuriating CEO—and watch the man who never breaks crumble to his knees on the ballroom floor, tears streaking his face as he stares at me like he’s watching his world slip from his fingers.
A small, sad laugh escapes me.
Pathetic, maybe.
But real.
If I could do it all again…
I’d still choose him.
Every mistake.
Every sex.
Every fight.
Every moment.
"Here goes nothing," the bomb expert says, snapping me back. His gloved hands hover over the twisted wires.
He glances at Hermes. "Sir, you should step back. Or at least wear protective gear."
Hermes shakes his head. Hard. "No. Just—" His voice cracks apart.
June. His eyes say more than words can.
I manage a smile, even though everything in me is trembling.
"You should listen to him," I whisper. "You don’t want to end up like me."
It’s a terrible joke. A desperate attempt at light. But I can’t let him drown in fear.
"Don’t…" Hermes’s voice shatters. "Don’t joke about this, June."
I laugh through tears, a shaky, broken sound. "Well… you’re bawling your eyes out. Rare sight. Funny, isn’t it?" I whisper, trying to ease the tension.
Hermes doesn’t answer. He just tilts his head slightly, silent, trembling.
I turn to the bomb expert, nodding for him to proceed.
"If we leave here alive…" I murmur, a small smile forming despite the chaos. "…Hermes Grande," I say, not even looking at him, "…let’s get married by the buckwheat field, with the sun shining on us."
He doesn’t respond with words. Instead, he grabs my hands, holding them tightly.
The bomb expert’s hands hover over the blue wire. My eyes fly shut, and I whisper a prayer. "Please God… let me live."
Suddenly, a voice echoes sharply through the room: "STOP! STOP! I found the detonator!"
I open my eyes, exhaling a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. Relief floods me, sharp and overwhelming.
My gaze lands on Hermes, whose eyes are fixed on the speaker, jaw tight.
The man rushes forward, swiftly disabling the device.
"Oh… God…" I breathe, the tension leaving my body in a rush.
The bomb expert exhales loudly, "Well… that was close."
The straps fall away, and I throw myself into Hermes’ arms, clutching him tightly.
"Oh God. Thank you," I whisper, pressing my face to his chest.
Hermes trembles against me, tears flowing freely, holding me back with all his strength.
Finally, he releases me. Our lips crash against each other, in a passionate and desperate move, as we steal each other's breath, gasping for nothing but each other.
I break the kiss, gasping for air. "I’m pregnant, Hermes. Let’s get married," I say, smiling brightly, holding his hair as he sinks to his knees before me.
I watch his eyes widen, realization dawning slowly.
"Oh…" he breathes, hand moving instinctively to my belly. "Thank you, June. Thank you… baby… thank you for not dying." Tears streak his face.
"Let’s go," I say, trying to pull him up, ready to leave this nightmare behind.
Then, I feel something wet on my palms. I freeze, eyes wide, staring down at the liquid. Blood.
"Hermes—" I choke, panic surging.
"What—" he asks, confused, looking at me, before his body jerks violently. His eyes snap shut, and he collapses to the ground.
"HERMES!" I scream, heart lurching as the world tilts violently around me.
\---
Everywhere blurs as the ambulance sirens fill the night air. I follow, tears streaming down my face, as the paramedics push the stretcher with Hermes on it. His body is limp, and my hands clutch his head as though I could hold him together.
"Don’t leave me, Hermes!" I plead, voice cracking. "Stay with me!"
"I'm sorry, baby," he murmurs, barely audible, his lips trembling.
The paramedics move quickly, shouting commands as they enter the ambulance.
"BP’s dropping!" one of them yells. I snap my eyes to the monitor, the beeping frantic and uneven.
"Push fluids, fast IV," another commands, checking his pulse.
"Heart rate’s erratic… we need epinephrine, now!" a third shouts, pulling a syringe from the kit.
I hover over him, pressing my hand to his chest. "Hermes… look at me. Please… you’re going to be okay, okay? I’m right here."
"Sir… you need to stay awake," one paramedic says firmly. "Talk to me. Squeeze my hand if you can hear me."
I squeeze his hand. "Hermes… please squeeze back. Please don’t leave me… not like this."
His eyelids flutter, faintly. "June…" he whispers, voice weak and ragged.
"Shh, I’m right here. You’re going to be okay. Just hang on," I say, tears soaking his sleeve.
"Monitor shows ventricular arrhythmia—prepare defibrillator!" a paramedic shouts.
"No! Don’t—" I start to protest, but the medics are already acting, paddles in place.
"Clear!" one calls, and the jolt makes Hermes’ body jerk violently. I cry out, hugging him down.
"Come on, Hermes… come back to me," I whisper, rocking him gently. "Please… you can’t leave. We have a life to live… our baby… our life together…"
A paramedic checks his vitals again. "BP rising slightly… keep him sedated but stable. We’re getting him to the ER."
I nod frantically, clinging to him. "Don’t you dare die on me, Hermes. I swear, if you die, I’ll—"
He squeezes
my hand, faint but real. My heart stutters. "June… I… love you…"
"Yes! I love you too!" I sob, pressing my forehead to his. "Stay with me. Just stay. We’re not done yet."