~ALARIC'S POV
The room had fallen into a quieter state, yet nothing within it felt settled, not when she still lay unmoving on the bed before me.
I remained where I was, close enough that I could reach her without effort, my attention fixed on her in a way that left no space for anything else.
My sight was there, yet every fragment of clarity came at the cost of her life, and there was nothing in that exchange that I could accept.
The physician finished what he could, his hands slowing before finally withdrawing from her, though the hesitation in him had not disappeared completely.
"She is stable for now," he said, his voice careful, his gaze moving between us before settling back on her. "But her body is weak. The loss of blood has taken its toll, and recovery will depend on how well she can endure what comes next."
