FINN'S POVI had barely taken a moment to sit down when my mother’s phone call to Linda seemed to end as quickly as it had started.Moments later, Linda arrived at the hospital, almost as if she had been waiting around the corner for that very invitation. Dressed in a crisp white dress, her hair perfectly styled, and that strong perfume—something floral and suffocating—she came striding down the hallway with a broad, beaming smile."Finn!" she called, her voice echoing in the quiet hallway as she hurried towards me. “I heard the good news. Has Dante woken up yet?”The smile on her face was bright but unsettling. I struggled to keep my expression neutral as I stepped back from her strong perfume.My stomach twisted, and I tried to ignore the nausea that rose up with every breath. "Uhmm," I managed, plastering on a strained smile. "No, he hasn’t woken up yet. The doctor said we still need to wait a little longer."Linda barely let the words register before she brushed past me and walked
ARIA'S POVWhen Adam had told me that I could finally see Dante, a wave of relief and excitement washed over me. I had been waiting for what felt like an eternity, and every second that passed only added to my anxiety.I could hardly get out of that hospital bed fast enough, throwing on a comfortable pair of jeans and a sweater, wanting to look decent without overthinking it.As soon as I was ready, I followed Adam through the hospital hallways, my pulse pounding with each step.Adam walked hurriedly beside me, his face serious, glancing back at me every now and then to make sure I was keeping up. And after about a few minutes, we finally turned the corner to Dante’s room.My heart skipped a beat when I saw the room number Finn had told Adam about."Here we are," Adam mumbled, giving me a small nod. I barely gave myself a chance to hesitate before I opened the door and stepped inside.The first thing I saw was Linda. She was sitting beside Dante’s bed, staring at her phone with a smil
ARIA'S POVThe sharp, piercing voice echoed through the room like a blade, almost deafening me. It was more terrifying than Linda's anger, filled with an authority and anger that made my heart skip a beat."You wretched woman!" The words felt like venom, laced with pure hatred. "You nearly got my son killed, and yet you have the audacity to come here? Do you want to kill him?"Before I could even process the words, Luna Agatha stormed forward, her face twisted with rage. I stumbled back, but she was faster, grabbing my arm in an iron grip, her nails digging into my skin so sharply that I felt a warm trickle of blood."Let me go!" I gasped, my voice weak, the pain shooting up my arm. But her grip only tightened, her eyes blazing as she leaned in closer."I warned you, didn't I?" she spat, her face inches from mine. "I warned you that if you ever brought harm to him, there would be consequences. Do you think you're untouchable just because he cared for you?" Her nails dug deeper, and I
DANTE'S POVThe first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the white ceiling of the hospital room.Blinking against the harsh brightness, I felt a strange, disoriented fog clouding my mind. It was as though I had been asleep for a long time, so long that the silence around me seemed almost unnatural, like an endless ringing in my ears.Was this… the afterlife? Was I… dead?A sense of unease crept over me, and as my senses slowly returned, I started to realize that I was very much alive.The quiet in my head gradually faded, and I began to hear voices coming from outside the door, as though a crowd was gathered.I couldn’t catch every word, but there was one voice that stood out among the rest, sharper and louder than the others.It was my mother's.As the memory hit me, I flinched, and the sudden movement sent a ripple of pain through my body. I groaned, barely able to lift my head, but slowly, I turned to look around the room.The bed beside me was empty, and the room was also empty
DANTE'S POVI rushed forward, ignoring the sharp, tearing pain that flared through my chest with every step.My body protested, reminding me of every injury, every burn, and every scrape. But I couldn’t stop. Not when I saw the way Aria’s face had turned pale. She looked so small, so tired, caught in a storm she didn’t deserve.As soon as I reached her side, I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pulled her close to shield her from the guards and the tense atmosphere.The pain hit me in waves, and I winced, clenching my teeth to keep myself from bending over. But when I looked down at her, nothing else mattered.“Aria,” I whispered, my voice barely steady, my hands trembling as I held her close. “Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Do you feel sick?”Aria’s wide, surprised eyes met mine, and for a second, it was as if time stood still. She blinked, her lips parting slightly as she whispered my name, almost like she was saying it for the first time. “Dante? You’re… you’re awake?”
DANTE'S POVThe silence that settled over the hallway was heavy as my question hung in the air, lingering between Adam and me.All eyes were on us, waiting, as though they too wanted to know what his answer would be.But he didn’t say anything.Adam’s eyes met mine, and there was something in his expression that I couldn’t quite understand. A flash of something like guilt, or maybe it was frustration—I just couldn’t tell.He looked down, his jaw clenched, and it was as though he was wrestling with something inside himself, something he couldn’t, or wouldn’t want to say.My mother, who had been shouting just moments ago, was now standing quietly, looking at Adam with a suspicious gleam in her eye. Linda,on the other hand, was restless, her gaze flickering between Adam and me.And as for me? I felt a cold, creeping doubt slowly spread into my chest as I stood there, staring at the man who, apparently, had saved my life.Suddenly, my mind began to wander, piecing together every piece of
DANTE'S POVThe command was still ringing in the air when my mother opened her mouth to say something, her expression fierce and ready to argue. But before she could get a word out, I turned to her, giving her a look that I knew left no room for discussion.A low growl escaped my mouth, and I saw her flinch, her shoulders dropping just enough for me to know that I had gotten through to her. She lowered her head, though her face was tight with a barely hidden frown.I let out a scoff, feeling the frustration building up inside me. Shaking my head, I turned away from everyone and began walking back to my room.Every step I took felt heavier than the last. My chest was tight, my mind racing with a mess of emotions I couldn’t sort out—anger, hurt, confusion. I couldn’t even bring myself to look back at Aria. I didn’t want her to see me like this, to see my weakness or see that I was jealous.As I reached my room, I gave one final order to the guards stationed outside.“No one is allowed
ARIA'S POVBy the time Adam brought me back to my hospital room, I felt like I was walking through a fog.Everything that had happened today seemed to cling to me like a heavy burden—the shock of seeing Dante awake, the accusations from his mother, Linda’s mocking words.I could barely even process any of it; it was as if the ground had shifted beneath my feet, leaving me feeling off-balance, lost.As I sat down on the small couch in the corner of the room, Adam placed a glass of water in front of me. With shaky hands, I reached for it, hoping that a sip might help clear the weight pressing on my chest.Adam took the seat across from me, leaning back with that familiar, confident look, though this time there was an edge of sarcasm in his expression. “So,” he began, an eyebrow raised. “Are you still planning on going back to see him? I mean, since you’re so… love struck?”I met his gaze, feeling my face flush at his mocking tone. His eyes were searching, waiting, as if he knew exactly