The heavy, bitter smell of medicine faded as I walked away, but the cold hardness settling into my chest only grew sharper with every step I took from Miller's bedside. My feet didn't hesitate as I navigated the quiet corridors of the villa's lower levels. I didn't go back to the peaceful bedroom we had shared last night, nor did I look for my son upstairs. The tears that had blurred my eyes outside Miller's room had dried completely, leaving behind a clear, sharp focus.
Your life is a hundred times more important than mine. Miller's rough voice echoed endlessly in my mind. The image of the thick white gauze covering the empty side of his face burned behind my eyelids. He had given up his own sight just to buy me a few seconds on that hill, and he had done it willingly because he believed I was the heart of this family.
If I was the heart, then it was time for that heart to stop bleeding and start fighting back.
