Silent Scars

CHAPTER 63

DOMAIN HASTINGS

The room was unnervingly quiet. The only sound was the rhythmic beep of the heart monitor, a constant reminder that she was still with us, still breathing. But it didn’t feel like enough.

Ariana was being moved from the ICU today. That should have brought some relief, but instead, the weight pressing against my chest hadn’t eased in the slightest. If anything, it felt heavier.

We were all here, except for Leonardo.

Kendric sat on the sofa, rigid, his wide eyes never once leaving her still form on the hospital bed. He was afraid. Afraid that if he looked away, she’d disappear.

And I couldn’t blame him.

Luca was right beside her, her hand encased in his. His grip was firm, like he was trying to ground himself in her presence. I could see the longing in his eyes, the pain of missing the simple touch of his sister.

Marcus stood by the window, his back against the wall, staring outside with an expression I couldn’t read. But I didn’t need to. I knew exactly what was going through his mind. He was drowning in thoughts, in guilt, in the exhaustion of holding everything together.

And me? My thoughts were tangled, a mess of regret and shame.

Leonardo wasn’t here.

And it was my fault.

I knew how much he would blame himself, how he would pick apart every little moment and find a way to put it all on his shoulders, even the things that weren’t his fault. And yet, yesterday, I had thrown blame at him, not because it was fair, but because I needed someone to carry the weight of my own guilt.

But what right did I have?

I was the one who had hurt her the most.

With my words. With my doubt.

I was the one who called her an attention seeker. The one who made her feel unwanted the second she stepped into our house.

I couldn’t take that back.

I was pulled from my thoughts by the smallest movement.

A shift in the sheets.

My eyes snapped to her.

Ariana’s fingers twitched slightly, and then, slowly, her lashes fluttered.

She was waking up.

I held my breath.

She tried opening her eyes, but the light made her squeeze them shut again.

A second attempt, blinking rapidly. But then....

Panic.

Her lips trembled before she suddenly bolted upright, her breathing sharp and erratic. Her wide, frantic eyes darted around the room as if searching for an escape.

Luca reacted immediately.

“Aria, it’s....”

He started, reaching out carefully, but before his hands could touch her, she flinched violently and shoved them away.

She scrambled out of the bed so fast that the IV ripped from her hand, blood trailing down her wrist, but she didn’t care.

She moved too quickly, her body too weak to hold her up, and collapsed onto the floor.

Still, she pushed herself back, dragging herself toward the wall, curling in on herself, arms raised above her head as though bracing for a blow.

No one moved.