The hospital room seemed to shrink as the air thickened with expectation. Ever remained frozen, lips parted slightly, but no words escaped. Her eyes darted between the two men — the man she had tried to build a future with, and the man who still owned her heart.
Nathaniel took a hesitant step forward. "Ever… say something."
Still, nothing.
Her hands trembled on the hospital blanket, her gaze locked on Eandro in the nurse's arms, as if the tiny life had tethered her heart in every direction. But her mouth—sealed in uncertainty.
Allesandro's voice sliced through the stillness. Calm. Unapologetic. Undeniably triumphant.
"She doesn't have to," he said. "Her silence… means she does love me."
Nathaniel turned to him sharply, but Allesandro raised his hand — not to provoke, but to make his truth known.
