Serena POV

The room feels too quiet after Lucien leaves.

He walks out slowly, like every step toward the door is a battle, glancing back once… twice… almost as if hoping I will stop him. I don’t. I keep my eyes on the blanket. It is easier to breathe when I don’t have to look at him.

The door shuts gently behind him.

The silence settles like dust.

My chest aches, but not from the wounds. It is a deeper kind of ache. Heavy. Quiet. Unrelenting.

I pull the blanket tighter around ...