DANTE
The drive to the hospital is silent except for the city noise beyond the tinted windows. Aria sits beside me, and I'm acutely aware of her presence. The way she didn't hesitate when I asked her to come. The way she just... showed up.
No one shows up for me. Not without expecting something in return.
But Aria is here because I asked. Simply because I asked.
My mother is in a private room on the VIP floor. She looks smaller than she did at lunch, swallowed by the hospital bed, but her eyes are alert when we enter.
"Dante." Her voice is weak but firm. "And Aria. Good. I wanted to see you both."
"Mother, what happened? The doctors said,"
"The doctors said I pushed myself too hard today." She waves a dismissive hand. "Lunch took more out of me than expected. It's nothing to worry a
