The hallway outside the room had grown quieter, evening rounding out the last of the day's bustle.
The echoes of footsteps and rolling carts had faded, leaving only the low hum of the fluorescent lights above, filling the silence with a steady, artificial rhythm.
The nurse wheeled Felix gently down the corridor, the chair's wheels whispering over the polished floor.
Matteo walked beside him, steady, unhurried, his hand resting lightly on the edge of the chair as if to anchor Felix without words.
Felix's fingers clutched the blanket draped over his lap, knuckles pale.
His eyes shifted from door to door as they passed, each one identical yet unfamiliar. "This place feels… big," he murmured, the words soft, as if speaking too loud might disturb the silence.
Matteo's mouth curved faintly. "It's not. You'll memorize every hallway soon enough."
Felix gave no reply, only tilting his head back to watch the ceiling panels glide overhead like slow-moving clouds.
