Chapter 21 The moment Clarisse saw that familiar face , a sharp pain pierced through her skull . Images then exploded in her mind . A woman kneeling outside a villa , begging with a child in her arms … Theodore's cold , expressionless stare as she sank beneath the pool's surface … His desperate plea for forgiveness backstage at the concert hall … Everything came rushing back . And by the time she snapped out of it , all she could see was the oncoming blur of a speeding car zooming wide in her eyes . It was too late for her to dodge . Behind the wheel , Bianca locked eyes with her as she let out a hysterical laugh . " Let's go to hell together , you fucking bitch ! " " Clarisse ! " A scream tore through the air . Then , something slammed into her with the force of a truck . It was Theodore . He had thrown himself at her , shoving her out of the car's path with everything he had . The impact was deafening . Clarisse was hurled to the ground , pain flaring hot across her elbows and knees as they scraped against the pavement . She barely registered the wound when her head whipped up . Only a few seconds had passed , but the scene , played as if in slow motion . Theodore's body hurled through the air like a kite with its string snapped . He came crashing to the ground with a bone - breaking thud several feet away . The red car smashed into a roadside tree . The front end crumpled like paper . Bianca slumped over the wheel , blood streaming from her head . It was impossible to tell if she was still alive . Clarisse's mind went blank . She scrambled forward on her hands and knees , crawling to where Theodore lay . He was sprawled on the cold ground , and a spreading pool of blood bloomed beneath him . His eyes found hers as she reached him . He seemed to try lifting his hand , but it did not budge at all . He could only stare at her face . His skin was losing color rapidly , and his breath came shallow and faint . His eyes had started to dim , too . " Theodore ! Theodore ! " Clarisse cried . She wanted to reach out her hand to touch but was afraid she would hurt him more . Tears poured down Chapter 21 her cheeks . Her mind was in chaos , spinning with a single desperate thought . He could not die . Not like this . 272 Theodore's eyes struggled to focus on Clarisse's tear - streaked face . His lips parted , and blood spilled out in a sudden gush . He used all he had left and moved his fingers , barely . Like he was trying to grab hold of something . She caught his hands instantly , clasping them tightly . It was cold and slick with blood . His fingers curled ever so slightly in her palm . It was his response or maybe his final farewell . A final flicker of light sparkled in Theodore's eyes as he looked at her , like he was trying to engrave her face deep into his soul . There was a fierce longing in his gaze . " Clarisse … " His voice was barely a whisper , so faint it seemed to float apart in the wind . Yet , she heard every word as clear as day . " Don't be scared … I'm … here … " The words were almost identical to what he had said all those years ago , when he took a blade for her . Her chest tightened as tears clouded her vision . He gasped , each breath more labored than the last . His mouth moved one last time . " I'm … sorry … " The final syllable left Theodore's lips as his eyes slowly slid shut . Clarisse knelt there , frozen in the pool of red . The world around her dulled to black and white . His hand , growing colder by the second , lay still in hers . In the hollow ringing of her ears , only two phrases remained echoing : " Don't be scared . I'm here . " " I'm sorry . " This time , Theodore was truly gone from her world .