Emilia’s face lit up, her smile bright and relieved despite her exhaustion.
“Damien,” she whispered, brushing her fingers across his cheek. “You’re awake…”
He didn’t answer. He couldn’t. His eyes fluttered closed again as his breathing deepened into something steady—something safe.
The doctor rushed to check him, hands trembling. He checked Damien’s pulse, his temperature, his wounds—everything.
Then he looked at me, stunned. “He’s fine,” he whispered. “Everything is perfect…like…like nothing even happened.”
I stared at him.
Then at Damien.
Then at Emilia.
And for the first time in hours—no—for the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to say.
The doctor kept staring at Emilia with a furrowed brow, but he didn’t dare voice his thoughts. Instead, he bowed slightly.
“He only ne
