ELORA

Gemma and I stepped out of the hospital entrance just as the soft hum of streetlights began to flicker to life above us. The sky had faded into a rich indigo, and the breeze carried that familiar New York chill, weaving through our coats and tugging at the ends of our scarves.

There was a sense of relief in the air—the kind that follows a successful surgery, the kind that makes your limbs feel lighter even after a long, emotionally exhausting day. The scent of roasted peanuts and hot dogs from a vendor across the street drifted into the air, blending oddly with the sterile scent of the hospital...