AMARA'S POV
The ride to the hospital felt endless. The silence inside the car pressed on me like a heavy stone. Father’s hands clutched the wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. Mother sat beside me, stiff, her arms folded. She didn’t glance at me once, but I could feel her judgment cutting through the air.
I wanted to ask about Nina. I wanted to know how bad it was. But every time I opened my mouth, the memory of Mother’s words…witch, selfish, uncaring, choked me back into silence.
When the car stopped, the smell hit me first. Hospitals always smelled the same, sharp, clean, and cruel. One whiff and memories came flooding in.
I was nine again, my little legs shaking as the nurse dragged me down the hallway. “Please! I don’t want to!” I had cried, kicking my feet, terrified of the
