Dalia stirred, her eyelids fluttering as she slowly regained consciousness. A soft warmth pressed against her lips—gentle, hesitant.
Her foggy mind struggled to make sense of it until her eyes opened fully.
Claude, his son.
His face was so close, his eyes closed, his lips resting against hers in a quiet, lingering kiss.
Her breath hitched, confusion flickering across her fevered mind. "Claude… what are you doing?"
At the sound of her mother voice, Claude's eyes snapped open. He pulled back slightly, his expression tense, his breath uneven.
"I'm sorry, Mother," he murmured, his voice laced with guilt.
"But I have to do this."
His words were strange. "You believe in me, don't you?" he asked, his tone desperate.
Dalia frowned, confused. "Of course, I believe in you," she answered without hesitation.
But something had been nagging at her. Her vision blurred, and then—
"Claude… why are your eyes red?"