DANTE

The drive to the hospital is silent except for the city noise beyond the tinted windows. Aria sits beside me, and I’m acutely aware of her presence. The way she didn’t hesitate when I asked her to come. The way she just... showed up.

No one shows up for me. Not without expecting something in return.

But Aria is here because I asked. Simply because I asked.

My mother is in a private room on the VIP floor. She looks smaller than she did at lunch, swallowed by the hospital ...