The hospital room door flew open with such force that it banged against the wall, and in that moment I knew everything was about to shatter.
I had been sitting beside Victor’s bed for hours, watching the monitors beep steadily while he rested after another pain episode. The private wing was quiet except for the soft hum of machines keeping him stable. When Damien stormed in, his face dark with fury and exhaustion, my heart nearly stopped. He was supposed to stay hidden. He was supposed to wait. But the look in his eyes told me he could not wait any longer.
Victor’s eyes opened slowly. Even weakened by the cancer and hooked up to IV lines, he managed a thin, mocking smile when he saw his son. “Damien. How nice of you to visit your dying father.”
Damien ignored me completely at first. He
