DAMIEN'S POV
The call came on a Tuesday morning. Victoria had collapsed in prison and was in the hospital. Brain aneurysm. They didn't know if she'd make it.
I stared at my phone, feeling nothing.
"Damien?" Elara had heard the conversation. "What happened?"
"Victoria's dying. They want me to come to the hospital."
"Do you want to go?"
"I don't know. Should I?"
"There's no should. Only what you can handle."
I went. Not because I forgave her, but because not going felt like leaving something unfinished.
The prison ward at the hospital was depressing. Guards outside her room, handcuffs on the bed rail even though she was unconscious. She looked small and gray, hooked up to machines.
A doctor found me in the hallway.
"Mr. Hartley, your mother's brain activity is minimal. Even if she
