Tears streamed down her cheeks in silent surrender, warm rivulets tracing the curve of her jaw as she slowly lifted a trembling hand to wipe them no space left for grief now—not when Ava needed her to be a pillar, unbreakable and composed, even if it was cruelly absurd to bear the weight of knowing that one day, that radiant soul would simply… disappear.
Only God held the ticking clock, the answer to how many sunsets Ava still had left to see.
Elsewhere in the quiet hum of the hospital room, Ava sat perched on the edge of her bed, her gaze unfocused, swallowed in thought. Her mind wandered, uninvited, to that peculiar moment when Grace had arrived—unexpected and not alone. A stranger had stood beside her, unfamiliar and unreadable. Why?
Why would Grace come with someone else? The question festered like a splinter just beneath her skin.
