grew up hearing your name in our house.”
Something quietly fractured in Mariana’s chest—not grief, but the buried memory of who she had once been.
Daniel showed her the faint surgical scar near his collarbone and told her it had always reminded him that someone had fought for his life when everything seemed hopeless.
A moment later, two familiar voices called her name.
Laura and Andrew, former surgical colleagues, hurried across the lobby.
Laura practically threw herself around Mariana in a tight hug.
“I can’t believe you’re standing here!” Laura
