Chapter 134 : Consider it done

The sterile scent of antiseptic lingered in the air, mixing with the faint hum of medical equipment monitoring every breath Alfonso took. The dim lighting in the hospital room cast long shadows, making the space feel colder than it already was.

Ava sat beside the bed, her fingers curled around her father’s frail, calloused hand. She had spent the last few days in a relentless cycle of worry, exhaustion, and hope, unsure whether he would wake up at all.

Then, finally, a flicker of movement.

Alfonso's eyelids fluttered before slowly, painstakingly, opening. His eyes, bloodshot and rimmed with exhaustion, locked onto Ava’s face. There was something in them—something urgent, desperate, almost pleading. But when he tried to speak, the oxygen mask stifled his words, reducing them to shallow gasps.

Ava’s heart clenched at the sight.

"Dad," she said softly, squeezing his hand. "Please don’t push yourself. You're still recovering. You need to take it slow."

Tears welled up in his eyes, spillin