He tried to hold on, to stay upright. But his strength gave way. His eyes fluttered shut, and he collapsed with a heavy thud.

"Lyndon!" Tilda yelled in shock.

In the haze of unconsciousness, a dream took hold of Lyndon -soft, surreal, and strangely vivid.

He was young again.

Spring air kissed his face as he walked hand-in-hand with Rosanna through a quiet park.

Her laughter was light, the sun catching in her hair as she looked up at him with bright eyes. "Lyndon," she said sweetly, "will you love me forever?"

He looked down at her, his gaze filled with warmth. "I will," he said softly. "I'LL love you forever."

Her smile glowed under the golden sunlight, causing his heart to flutter.

She rose on her toes, and he leaned in to kiss her. But before their lips met, the dream shifted.

Now he was in a car—small, dark, and stifling. His breathing was ragged. Heat surged through his body like fire under his skin.

It was unbearable.

The door opened. A girl leaned in, holding a bottle of water and a small container of medicine. "Lyndon, take this first," she said, her voice gentle.

The scent of her clung to the air, delicate and intoxicating. It made something inside him stir—deep and primal.

His vision blurred as he looked up at her. Bloodshot eyes locked onto her lips-red, soft, inviting. His Adam's apple bobbed.

Without thinking, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the car, his body moving on instinct.

"Lyndon, stop," she said, panic in her voice. "Get a hold of yourself."

But he couldn't.

Her scent overwhelmed him. Her closeness ignited a hunger he couldn't control.

Fabric tore. Her cries mingled with the sound of clothes ripping.

"Mommy, why hasn't Daddy woken up yet?" A child's soft voice broke through the darkness.

Something cool touched his forehead—a small, comforting hand.

Then a woman's voice followed, steady and familiar. "He will. He just needs a little more time."

The voices... the warmth...

Lyndon's eyes twitched behind closed lids. Slowly, they fluttered open.