Desmond Knight was admitted to the hospital where Elias Duncan practiced.

Even though he wasn’t under Elias’s specific department, Elias still stopped by to check on him several times.

"You can breathe easy," Elias said, leaning against the doorframe. "It missed the vital organs. That said, he’s going to have some lasting nerve damage. He’ll struggle with lifting that arm—it’s going to be weak from here on out."

The tension that had been coiled in my chest snapped. I finally let the tears fall, the relief hitting me like a physical weight.

Desmond struggled to lift his hand, his fingers tracing the moisture on my cheek. "It’s fine, Serenity. It’s just the arm. It doesn’t get in the way of… anything else."

I only then remembered to ask, "Why were you even in Southside?"

Desmond’s gaze anchored on mine, heavy and unreadable. "I’m sorry. The truth is, I’ve been coming to Southside every week."

He shifted slightly, his face pale against the sterile white pillow. "This trip, I honestly just wanted to see you for a moment before heading back."

A bitter, hollow ache pulsed in my chest. "It’s a good thing you got here when you did. Thank you, Desmond."

He watched me with sudden, sharp intent. "That guy, Kartier Bennett—do you like him? Or is this all a play to start something with Dr. Duncan?"

The desperation and anticipation flickered in his eyes, searching my face for a crack in my composure.

I gave a nonchalant shrug. "Who knows?"

A ripple of pain crossed his features, raw and jagged. He forced a smile, his hand hovering over my hair before dropping away.

...

The day he was discharged, I drove him to the airport.

After we finished the motions of saying goodbye, I turned to leave without looking back.

"Serenity," Desmond called out, his voice cutting through the terminal noise. "You once said you had three wishes. What was the third one?"

I paused and glanced back, offering him a hollow, practiced smile. "Did I? I don't remember."

I gave him a brief wave and walked away.

The truth was, my third wish had been to leave Desmond Knight behind and finally start my own life.

The wish had already been granted. There was no need to speak it out loud.

I stepped out of the terminal. The afternoon sun in Southside hit me full force, blinding and harsh. I squinted as I looked toward the end of the runway, watching a silver aircraft tear through the sky. It quickly became nothing more than a flickering speck against the clouds, impossible to tell if it was his flight or someone else’s.

The best evidence that a wish has truly come true is forgetting you ever needed to pray for it so desperately in the first place.

I walked into the crowd, my shadow trailing short and sharp behind me.

Every step from here on out was a fresh start.