Chapter 88

Aisha's POV The neutral hospital felt colder that afternoon. Maybe it was the sterile walls or the silence between Emma and me as we strolled down the corridor, but something had shifted. Her steps were slower than usual, and the usual warmth in her voice had faded into something harder to define, quiet resignation. We had planned to grab some forms before heading back to the Golden Pack. Simple. Quick. But Emma had asked to see Thomas once more, and something in her tone told me it wasn't just about gratitude. We found him in the small courtyard garden tucked behind the main building. Thomas sat on a wooden bench under the only tree blooming this late into the season. A few sunlight strands danced across his glasses, catching the faint glimmer of gold in his hazel eyes. He looked up as we approached, and when his gaze landed on me, his entire face lit up. That's when I felt it. The smallest hitch in Emma's breath beside me. "Hey," he said, standing to greet us. "Didn't expect you both