The hospital room was dim, morning light just beginning to filter through the blinds.
Leo sat in the same chair he'd occupied for hours, watching his mother sleep, the rhythmic beep of the heart monitor the only sound breaking the silence.
Lila hadn't come home last night. She'd texted that she was staying with Maya.
Leo knew better.
She was avoiding him. Avoiding the house. Avoiding the weight of everything they couldn't fix.
His phone sat on the small table beside him, screen dark.
No calls.
No messages.
Nothing.
Alex had stopped trying probably.
Leo told himself that was good. That it was what he wanted.
But the silence felt heavier than the calls ever had.
The door opened softly.
Lila stepped in, backpack slung over one shoulder, eyes red-rimmed and tired.
"You're here early," Leo said quietly.
"I could say the same thing." She moved to their mother's bedside, gently taking her hand. "Any change?"
"No."
Lila nodded, jaw tight.
