The sterile light of the emergency ward cast long shadows on the tiled floor, flickering faintly with every shift of the overhead fluorescents.
Eryx sat across from Lunara, both of them locked in silence, as if words would make the guilt more unbearable.
He hadn't said much since they arrived. Not because he didn't care but because he did, and far too much. Every second he'd spent tearing Matilda's empire apart had cost him something greater. He should've been there. He should've known.
Lunara sat still, barely noticing the hospital blanket someone had gently draped over her shoulders. Her eyes were fixed on the floor, unfocused, while her hands stayed tightly clenched in her lap.
If she had just listened. If she hadn't insisted on going out. If she didn't sulk and asked him to pull out all the security around her. If she hadn't let her pride drown out his warning to stay home.
Mila wouldn't be lying in that operating room right now.
