40. Sienna
Sienna
J onah’s hand twitches lightly against mine while the heart monitor beside the bed keeps its slow, steady rhythm.
Alive.
Still here.
I focus on that.
Not the exhaustion dragging through my body.
Not the fear still sitting like broken glass inside my chest.
Just him breathing.
That’s enough.
The door opens softly behind me.
I don’t look up right away.
Ronan’s footsteps stop near the bed.
“I need you.”
“No.”
The answer comes instantly.
My fingers tighten around Jonah’s hand.
Not leaving.
Not yet.
“Sienna—”
“No,” I repeat.
Quieter this time.
Harder.
“Not right now.”
Silence settles briefly behind me.
Then Ronan says two words that stop my heart completely.
“It’s Elizabeth.”
Everything inside me freezes.
My breathing.
My thoughts.
The entire room narrowing down to that one name.
Slowly—very slowly—I let go of Jonah’s hand.
His fingers slide from mine reluctantly.
Like my body already knows this changes everything.
I turn toward Ronan.
His expression tells me enough before he even speaks again.
Fear.
Sympathy.
Tension.
Real.
“Show me.”