NovelOnlineChapter 821
Calliope sped through the rain-slicked streets, barely noticing the city lights flashing by. When she reached Lance
and Hudson's apartment, she burst inside like a storm.
The living room was quiet. Only Lance and Hudson were there.
Lance was holding Hudson close, arms wrapped tight around him. Hudson's eyes were closed. He looked
peaceful, almost as if he were just napping.
"Lance—" Calliope's voice wavered as she stood in the doorway. Her gaze locked on Hudson, and her heart
dropped. She was a doctor, a good one, and it only took a single glance to know the truth.
Hudson was gone.
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She couldn't believe it, wouldn't believe it. She had treated him herself, watched over him as a friend and a
physician. She'd known it would cto this, had tried to brace herself.
But knowing and seeing were two different things. The pain hit her like a sledgehammer, making her feel utterly
useless. She hadn't been able to save him. Lance looked up at her. He tried to smile, but the expression twisted
on his face, barely holding back the tears. He looked like a man about to shatter.
He stared at Calliope, lost, and murmured, "Callie, he left me. There's never going to be anyone who loves me
like he did. No one will ever spoilthe way he did."
Calliope crossed the room, every step feeling like walking barefoot over broken glass. The pain was sharp, raw,
and impossible to ignore.
She knelt beside Hudson. He looked so peaceful, like he'd just dozed off after a long day. But she knew there was
nothing she could do-no medicine, no miracle left.
She reached for her medical bag, hands trembling, tears blurring her vision.
But Lance shook his head gently.
"It's okay," he whispered. "He knew. He knew he was running out of time. He was so calm about it. Last night he
took a shower, put on his favorite sweater-the one he loved wearing on Sunday mornings. He didn't want to
troublewith anything." s
Lance's voice was steady, almost eerily calm. He told Calliope about Hudson's
last hours, about how he'd tried to prepare them both.
"lI was so scared," Lance admitted. "I didn't want to face it. | kept hoping | was wrong, that he'd get better. But
Hudson... he used what the had left to be with me. He talked with me, helpedstart to accept it."
Hudson had planned everything, right down to the playlist for his memorial, the friends he wanted. there, which
patch of the cemetery he'd picked out, under the old oak tree. He'd made sure Lance wouldn't be left alone with
chaos. s
"He was always the responsible one," Lance said with a shaky laugh. "We're the sage, but he looked after
"He wantedto be okay. He wantedto keep living. He said someday we'd see each other again, and until
then, | should live enough life for the both of us."
Calliope listened, heart aching for Lance. She knew how much Hudson had given, how hard he'd worked to ease
Lance's pain, to help him face a world that would feel so empty.
Lance's eyes grew red, and he hugged Hudson tighter, refusing to let him go.
"Callie, my world feels so empty now,” he whispered. “There's just... no more him. | want to go with hing but he
madepromise not to He said he'd be mad if | tried. He wantedto live, to do all the things he couldn't, to
take him within everything | do." s
Calliope sat with Lance for a long time, listening to him speak, letting him grieve. She knew the calm was only
possible because Hudson had loved him enough to prepare him.
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