The hospital corridor is quiet, save for the faint beeping of monitors and the distant murmur of nurses moving about. I stand just outside Ava’s room, my arms wrapped around my body as if bracing against a chill that isn’t really there.
I can still hear Ava’s words echoing in my head. Don’t waste time being angry. Don’t make the mistake I made.
A sigh escapes my lips, and just as I'm about to leave, I hear footsteps behind me.
Heavy.
Hesitant.
Familiar.
Jasper.
I don't turn around.
I can’t.
Not yet.
For a moment, neither of us speaks. The silence between us stretches, thick with all the things left unsaid. Then, finally, Jasper exhales.
"We need to talk." His voice is low, rough around the edges, but there’s something vulnerable underneath it. Something desperate
