Gabriel cleared his throat.
The sound felt too loud in the quiet room, as though it disturbed something fragile between them.
“So,” he said slowly, forcing a casual tone he did not feel, “you have a childhood crush?”
Isabella did not look at him.
Her eyes remained fixed on the window, watching the faint movement of trees outside, watching light slide gently across glass. It was as if her body was still in the hospital room, but her mind had traveled far away.
Very far.
“Yes,” she said after a moment.
Her voice was calm, almost distant.
She leaned her head back slightly against the pillow, still not turning to him. “Every day, I look forward to reuniting with him again.”
Gabriel felt something shift inside his chest.
Not pain exactly. Not yet, just something he couldn't explain.
