Kael did not stay in one place for long.
He couldn’t.
Every moment beside Lyra felt like holding his breath too long. Every moment away from her felt like abandoning something fragile he couldn’t afford to lose.
So he moved.
Back and forth.
Between two rooms that now held everything that mattered to him.
The recovery room.
The nursery.
Life and silence.
Crying and stillness.
Hope and fear.
He didn’t realize how many times he had walked that same path until one of the attendants stepped aside quickly as he passed again, lowering her head like she had already seen him do this a dozen times.
Maybe more.
He didn’t count.
He only knew he couldn’t stop.
When he entered the nursery again, it was quieter than before.
Too quiet.
The twins were no longer crying.
They lay in their c
