The sterile scent of antiseptic filled the hospital corridor, sharp and unyielding, as Aira walked briskly toward the intensive care wing of Limketkai Hospital. The events of the afternoon replayed relentlessly in her mind—the rush of the Ferrari, Eala’s sudden leap into the driver’s seat, the screeching tires, the crash that tore through the quiet of the company parking lot. Her heart still thudded violently at the memory, yet she moved with a composed determination, her mind steady despite the storm of emotions swirling inside. She reached the private room where Eala had been wheeled in, the emergency team working swiftly to stabilize her after the crash, and pushed open the door.
Eala lay pale and still on the hospital bed, the machines around her humming with life-giving insistence. H
