He led Hero upstairs and opened the door.

The room was pitch dark.

He could faintly hear the sound of crying.

In the dim light from outside, he could make out someone sitting on the sofa.

It was Stella.

She was crying, and she was crying hard.

Stella had been crying ever since she returned from the hospital, and it had been going on for a long, long time.

"Stella?"

His voice ...