The broom rasped across the Delacroix marble floor. I had been here since before dawn, wiping, cleaning, fixing what I could—anything to keep my mind from drowning in the hospital room where Liam lay. Each swipe of the broom felt like a battle against helplessness.
“Kael?”
The sound of my name cut through the silence. I stiffened, straightened my back, and turned.
Mia stood a few feet away, her expression seems surprised. Her eyes flicked from the mop in my hand to the bucket at my side, disbelief painted on her face.
She came closer, her heels clicking faintly on the tiles. “Why are you here? Cleaning? You should be with your son in the hospital.”
I forced a faint smile, though my chest tightened. “Hospital bills don’t pay themselves. The doctor won’t wait for my grief.” My voice cam
