The world returned to Serena in fragments.
The soft hum of machines. The faint sting of antiseptic in her nose. The dull ache in her chest every time she tried to breathe.
Her eyelids fluttered open to dim light and a blurred ceiling. It took a moment before she realized she wasn't in her room at home. The bandages pressing against her chest reminded her of the bullet, of the street, of the way the world had gone dark.
She tried to move, but even the twitch of her fingers sent pain radiating through her ribs. A gasp escaped her lips.
"Serena?"
Her mother's voice came from her side. She leaned over quickly, clutching her daughter's hand with trembling fingers. Tears welled instantly, spilling before she could hold them back. "Oh, my baby… you're awake."
"M-Mom…" Serena croaked. Her throat was dry, her voice hoarse. "What… happened?"
Before her mother could answer, raised voices cut through the hospital corridor just outside her door.
Dante.
Leo.
The two men were locked in a low, heated argument.
"You shouldn't even be here," Dante hissed, his tone sharp enough to cut glass. "She doesn't need you."
"I saved her life!" Leo snapped back. His voice cracked with fury. "My blood kept her alive when yours couldn't do a damn thing."
Serena froze, her pulse quickening despite the weakness in her body.
Her mother gave her a worried glance and moved toward the door, trying to block the sound, but the men's words carried easily into the room.
"You think one act of desperation erases everything?" Dante's voice was quieter now, but laced with venom. "There's something about you I don't trust."
"You don't have to trust me," Leo spat. "She does."
The sound of footsteps. Then silence.
Moments later, the door creaked open. Leo stepped inside, his face pale, his arm still bandaged from where the IV had drawn blood. He looked exhausted, but his eyes softened the moment they landed on Serena.
"You're awake," he whispered, as though speaking too loudly might shatter her again. He crossed the room quickly, kneeling by her side. His fingers brushed against her hair, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. "God, Serena… you scared me."
Her chest tightened, not from the wound, but from the raw emotion in his eyes. "Leo… you—"
"I'm fine," he interrupted, forcing a small smile. "Don't worry about me. Just… rest, okay?"
But something in his gaze flickered — a shadow she couldn't name. For a heartbeat, guilt burned there, quickly smothered under layers of tenderness.
Serena was too weak to question it. Her body demanded sleep, even as her mind screamed with unease. Her mother hovered protectively by the bed, glaring at Leo with suspicion, but she said nothing.
That night, when the hospital halls quieted and Serena finally drifted into a fragile sleep, another story unfolded.
Andres stood in the shadows outside, his cigarette glowing faintly in the dark. His sharp eyes followed Leo as he slipped out of the hospital, moving with the urgency of a man carrying secrets.
Andres followed.
Leo didn't go home. He didn't even head toward the dorms or the streets he normally walked. Instead, he moved quickly, glancing over his shoulder, until he reached a nearly-abandoned warehouse on the city's edge.
Inside, a man waited. Gray hair. Scarred cheek. The kind of presence that reeked of old blood and older grudges.
"You're late," the man growled.
Leo's jaw tightened. "I was at the hospital. She almost died."
"Vale's daughter," the man spat the name like poison. "If only the bullet had finished the job."
"Don't talk about her like that," Leo snapped, his voice suddenly raw, protective.
The man's eyes narrowed. "You're forgetting yourself, boy. Don't forget whose son you are."
Leo froze. His fists clenched at his sides. "I haven't forgotten," he muttered.
The scarred man stepped closer, his breath sour, his hand clamping onto Leo's shoulder. "Your father killed Vale. That blood debt doesn't vanish. Don't let her cloud your head."
Leo's throat worked, but no words came out. For a moment, he looked like he might break. Then he jerked free, his voice cracking. "I'll handle it. She trusts me. That's all that matters."
Andres, hidden in the shadows, heard every word. His smirk faded, replaced with grim calculation.
Back at the hospital, Serena shifted in her sleep, her body restless, her face twisted with unspoken tension. Her hand clutched at the sheet as if reaching for answers in the dark.
Two men circled her life — one sworn to protect her, one bound by blood to destroy her. And though she did not yet know it, the truth was already moving toward her like a loaded gun.