“Mom.”
The word left Aruna’s lips in a whisper.
The woman standing in the doorway looked thinner than she remembered. Older. But alive.
Her knees nearly gave out.
Her mother opened her arms.
Aruna crossed the distance in seconds and collapsed into her embrace.
For the first time in years, she cried without restraint.
“I thought I lost you,” Aruna whispered.
Her mother stroked her hair gently.
“You survived,” she said softly. “That’s all that matters.”
Behind them, Dante stood silently.
Watching.
Guarding.
Owning the moment without touching it.
Later that night, after doctors and guards left, the penthouse fell into a heavy stillness.
Aruna sat alone in the living room.
The reunion had filled her with relief, but also with something darker.
Anger.
Confusion.
Desire she re
