Chapter 284

Aria's POV The moment Aiden walked out of the hospital room, only Charles and I remained, plus my father still unconscious on the bed. Looking at Dad lying there so still, I couldn't imagine how I would have fallen apart if the emergency room doors had opened and the doctor had told me they couldn't save him. My mother had died before I was old enough to remember her. Dad had raised me single-handedly. When I was little, I'd constantly ask him why all the other kids had mothers and I didn't. Dad would always tell me my mom had gone to heaven early to prepare all my favorite toys for me, so when I eventually joined her, I'd have a room full of treasures waiting. As I grew older, I learned the truth—that my mother wasn't in this world anymore. I gradually stopped asking about her, but on many nights, I'd notice the light on in the master bedroom. Peeking inside, I'd find Dad holding Mom's photo, pouring out his heart's struggles. He wanted me to remember her but didn't want me to feel sa