Hospitals always felt too quiet.
Not peaceful quiet.
The kind that made every heartbeat sound louder.
Alexander sat beside Arianna’s bed and realised he had never felt fear like this before.
He had faced wars. Betrayals. Assassination attempts. Political traps.
None of them had shaken him the way this did.
She lay completely still.
Machines monitored her breathing. Soft beeping sounds filled the sterile room. Bandages wrapped around her torso where the bullet had torn through flesh meant for him.
For him.
The thought clawed at his chest.
Her sacrifice replayed over and over in his mind.
The way she had moved without hesitation. The way her body had shielded his. The way her eyes had still held love even as pain dragged her toward darkness.
“You should rest,” Helena said quietly
