Shayla
I stirred slightly, my eyelids fluttering open. "Chris? What's wrong?"
He shook his head, trying to dispel the lingering images from his mind. "Just a nightmare," he admitted, his voice thick with emotion. "I dreamed I left you alone, and Terrance... he..."
I reached up, cupping his face with my hand. "I'm here, Chris. I'm safe. It was just a dream."
He closed his eyes, leaning into my touch. "I can't shake the guilt, Shayla. I should never have left you alone that day. If anything had happened to you..."
"But it didn't," I said firmly, my fingers tracing gentle patterns on his cheek. "You came for me, Chris. You saved me. We're safe now, and that's what matters."
He pulled me closer, burying his face in my hair. "I just... I can't stop thinking about how close we came to losing everything."