TheManFromBefore
Talia stood in stunned silence, her emotions tangled. Her heart thudded dully in her chest as memories she had buried began crawling back- the laughter after class, the quiet stares exchanged during study periods, the last day of highschool when he promised he'd write from abroad... but never did.
Her breath hitched. "Aaron?"
His lips quirked into a small smile. "It's been a long time. Still remember me?"
Mina blinked, glancing between the two. "You know him?"
Talia nodded slowly, eyes still on him.
"We went to the same highschool."
Aaronsteppedforward. "Mind if we talk outside?"
Still dazed, Talia looked once at her foster mother lying unconscious in the bed, then followed him to the corridor.
Outside the ward, the hallway was empty. The muffled sound of hospital life echoed in the distance.
"What... What are you doing here?" She asked finally, her voice just above a whisper.
"I was driving past when I saw your friend Mina trying to wave down help.
Your foster mom had already collapsed. I brought them in my car." He explain,slipping his hands into his coat pockets like it was nothing.
Talia blinked, stunned. "You... you brought them here? You paid for all of this?"
He nodded casually. "Yeah. Of course."
She opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her throat tightened. "I'll pay you back," she murmured.
Aaron tilted his head, studying her carefully. "Talia..." His voice was quiet.
"What happened to you? How did it come to this?"
She hesitated, her hands curling tightly into fists at her sides. "You left after high school," she started. Her voice cracked, so she cleared it and began again. "You don't know what happened after..."
Aaron waited patiently.
"I was adopted. You remember. They were rich... we lived well. But then... he died. My foster dad. Everything changed after that. His family threw us out. Said we were leeches. My mom had no say. I had to drop everything - school, dreams- and work mini jobs to support her. She started doing delivery runs, but we barely made enough."
Aaron's jaw tightened.
Talia swallowed. "I did everything I could. Anything I could. It still wasn't enough."
Tears slipped down her cheeks. She didn't notice until Aaron gently stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. She stiffened at first - unsure of herself, unsure of him - but the warmth in his embrace shattered the tension.
"You did enough," he said quietly. "You did more than enough."
She broke down then, silently weeping into the shoulder of someone she hadn't seen in years, someone who had once made her feel seen in a way no one else had.
Just inside the ward, Mina waited, still not understanding how Talia knew the man. She stayed there, giving them space.
Meanwhile miles away at the Thorne headquarters, an envelope sealed in red was handed to Damon by his assistant.
"It came from a private courier, sir," the assistant said.
Damon took the envelope with a frown. The seal was unfamiliar. As he opened it and scanned the contents inside, the calm on his face cracked - his fingers tensed, his jaw locked, and his eyes darkened like a storm had gathered.
"Who sent this?" He asked, voice low and dangerous.
The assistant hesitated. "It was anonymous, sir. But... it's addressed to you. Personally."
The paper crinkled under his tightening grip.