"Nana is dying,"
Those were the first words she heard from Dominic the moment Celeste opened her eyes.
His voice had been steady. Too steady. Like he had to force calm into every syllable so he wouldn't fall apart in front of her again.
She hadn't said anything. Just nodded, pushed back the covers, and got up. He didn't stop her. He didn't follow her, either. Maybe because he knew what she needed.
They have all been waiting for this day, since she got cancer five years ago, and since Celeste joined the family two years ago, and heard she had no time left, and that everyday was a miracle.
That was two hours ago.
Now, she was here.
The room was quiet. Too quiet for a woman who once filled every space with life even when death dragged her.
Celeste sat at the edge of the bed. Her eyes stung, and her heart twisted as she looked at Nana. She was Dominic's mother, but she was the woman who had once held her hand during a storm without asking why her fingers trembled.
