Lucian
We waited in the hallway, time crawling slower with every breath. Darian had gone in to sign the consent forms, and now it was just me and Mara—sitting in those stiff, sterile chairs, the hum of hospital lights buzzing above us like some cruel reminder of how fragile everything was.
Mara didn’t look well. Her hands were cold, her face pale. I’d tried to convince her to go home and rest, but she wouldn’t hear it.
“I promised Tiffany I would be here,” she said, her voice quiet but firm.
I wrapped my arm around her. “Well, thank the goddess this is a hospital. I might just get you a room here myself.”
She gave me a small smile, the kind that barely touched her eyes. Normally, that line might’ve made her laugh. But today, there was nothing funny about anything.
Tiffany had come to
