Third Person POV
The hospital lights cast a pale glow over the quiet hallway. It was late, though time never really mattered in places like this. Machines beeped behind closed doors, shoes squeaked against polished tiles, and the air carried that faint smell of antiseptic that seemed to seep into everything.
Declan stood outside Talia's room, staring at the door longer than necessary. He wasn't sure why he had come. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe guilt. Maybe something he couldn't put into words. He told himself it was just to check on her condition, nothing more. But deep down, he knew there was more to it than that.
With a quiet breath, he pushed the door open.
The sight that met him was enough to silence every thought in his head.
Talia lay on the bed, her body pale and thin under the sheets. Tubes ran in and out of her, machines keeping her alive. Her eyes were open, though. Awake. Watching.
