They made eye contact for a second before Finnick pulled her into his embrace.
The hug was gentle at first, but as time passed, it began to get suffocating. Vivian could feel her ribs digging into her lungs, and she had to claw at his chest in an attempt to break free. “Finnick, let me go… “
Unfortunately, he simply held on tighter.
“Finnick… it hurts… “
Finnick let go of her slowly the moment he heard those words.
She leaned into his chest in silence, noticing how he was still trembling.
“What’s wrong, Finnick?” she asked.
He was silent for a moment before he said, “Promise me you won’t leave me ever again.”
He looked up to meet her eyes, and the amount of love and affection in his gaze made her heart ache.
It was as though he was pleading for her to stay by his side, and there was no way she could bear to let him down.
Before she knew it, she had already planted a light kiss on his eyelid. “I promise I won’t leave you ever again.”
Just as her lips left his eyelid, he lunged forward and pressed his lips against hers, albeit a little hurriedly. It was as though he was trying to consume her and keep her safe inside of him.
Instead of flinching away, Vivian reciprocated the kiss passionately. Both of them felt much better after that.
Vivian was suddenly reminded of how he had stood up from his wheelchair to save her, and she frowned at him worriedly. “How are you going to tell everyone that your legs aren’t injured? It’s all my fault that… “
It’s all my fault that Ashley managed to kidnap me and drag us both into that mess. If not for her carelessness, Finnick’s secret would have remained a secret.
She could not imagine what Mark would do to Finnick if he heard of the news.
Finnick seemed to read her mind, and he pulled her into his embrace. “It’s fine. I’ve been wanting to make it public anyway. I can’t keep faking it, can I?”
He smiled as he gazed into her eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ve planned this out. I won’t let them take advantage of me.”
“What are you planning to do?” Vivian asked.
“I’ll call for a press conference tomorrow to explain everything,” he said.
“Do I need to be there?” Vivian asked. She wanted to support him through the process.
“No need, you need time to rest and recover. I’ll go there myself,” he answered. “I just want you to be safe, not swept up in my messy matters.”
“I’m feeling fine, really!” Vivian said hurriedly. “I was just a bit scared, that’s all.”
“Take care of yourself and don’t worry about me,” Finnick said. “You can watch the livestream tomorrow.”
“Alright then,” Vivian said with a nod. She did not want him to worry about her too, and she decided to stay put.
The next morning, they had breakfast together in the hospital room before Finnick left to go to the press conference.
Meanwhile, Vivian’s colleagues from the magazine company arrived to visit her.
“Are you alright, Vivian?” Sarah asked the moment she entered the room with worry etched on her face.
“Shush! You’re being too loud!” Jenny chided. “Vivian needs to rest!”
“That’s right, Sarah. I’m sure you don’t want Vivian’s condition to worsen, right?” another colleague said with a chuckle.
