Elena’s POV

The hospital ward fell into a suffocating silence.

Damien stood rigid by the window, the faint scent of cigarette smoke clinging stubbornly to his coat as though even the air feared dispersing around him. His gaze remained fixed on the numbers glowing on his phone screen.

5055.

His voice, when he finally spoke, was sharp enough to cut through bone. “What do the numbers before four represent?”

Elena’s mother did not hesitate.

“1 is home. 2 is my workplace. 3 means ...