Orion’s mind wasn’t at peace, first, it was Rosy’s anger that shattered his calm, and now it was his father’s fading strength that weighed him down.

Everything felt weak like the air in the room could collapse under the weight of unspoken fears. He sat beside his father on the bed, the old sheets rumpled beneath him, the smell of antiseptic thick in the air.

His eyes were tired, red from nights without sleep, his heart restless, afraid of the silence that always came before goodbye.

Eliana sat quietly on the other side of the room, her legs crossed, her hands clasped together in a way that pretended to be...