The car ride to the hospital was quiet—but it wasn't peaceful.
Thalia sat in the back beside Ermond, hands clasped together on her lap, eyes fixed outside the window as streetlights passed by in streaks.
'Why is my chest... weird?' she thought, pressing a palm lightly against her sternum. There wasn't pain. Just... something. A dull pressure. An odd discomfort.
She shifted in her seat.
'He's injured. So what? That doesn't mean anything.'
But the words didn't land. Her head knew that. Her heart, apparently, didn't get the memo.
Cruxius wasn't her friend. He wasn't her lover. He wasn't anything good, not after what he did to her.
And yet…
'I'm not supposed to care,' she reminded herself again. 'He's the reason I'm stuck here, trapped in a mansion like some caged bird.'
Still, she kept glancing at the dashboard clock.
Still, her fingers kept fidgeting.
Still, her stupid heart kept beating faster the closer they got.
