The hospital room was quiet, filled only with the soft beeping of the heart monitor and the faint hum of activity outside. The sunlight streamed through the window, now higher in the sky, casting a warm, golden glow over Samuel's face as he stirred awake once more.
As he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Zinnia.
She was sitting beside his bed, her hands resting in her lap, but her eyes—those familiar brown eyes he had always adored—were watching him with such tenderness that his heart clenched.
"Zia," he murmured, his voice still hoarse from sleep. "You should take a rest."
Zinnia didn't respond right away. She simply continued to look at him, as if memorizing every detail of his face. Then, after a pause, she softly called his name.
"James."
Samuel's entire body stiffened. His breath caught in his throat, his drowsiness vanishing in an instant.
What did she just call him?