Aurora POV
The hospital room was quiet, smelling of medicine and the cheap floral scent of the air freshener the nurses used to mask it. I stood over my brother's bed, looking at his pale, still face. Then, slowly, I leaned down, my lips brushing his cold, lifeless cheek.
"I'm going to avenge you," I whispered, the words vibrating against his skin like a blood oath. "You, Mom, and Dad. I'm going to end the monster responsible."
I stood up slowly, my legs feeling heavy. My hand instinctively dropped to my stomach, pressing against the flat surface where a tiny, secret life was just beginning to take root. A different kind of warmth spread through me—a protective, fierce fire.
"I'm going to save you from a bad father," I whispered to the baby. "You won't grow up knowing him. You won't be a pawn in his sick games."
