The room was dim, silent except for the soft beeping of the monitors. Damiano hadn't slept in almost two days—he refused to leave her side, his fingers tangled with Aaliyah's, praying, bargaining, losing himself in every second she didn't wake.
And then…
A twitch.
A breath.
A small, broken sound.
Her eyelashes fluttered.
Aaliyah: "…D-Damiano…?"
He froze. His heart stopped.
Then he shot up from the chair, eyes wide, voice cracking.
Damiano: "Aaliyah? Baby—hey, hey, I'm here. I'm right here."
She blinked slowly, confused, throat dry, head heavy. She looked around like she was fighting her way back into reality.
Aaliyah: "What… happened…?"
Damiano: "You fainted. Your body couldn't handle the stress anymore. They had to put you in a controlled coma for your safety."
Her breathing quickened—she tried sitting up, but Damiano gently held her down.
Aaliyah: "Wait—Estrella. Where's Estrella? Is she— is she okay?"
Damiano: "She's still fighting. Our girl is hanging on, amore. She's strong… just like you."
His voice cracked on the last word.
Before she could reply, the doctors rushed in, shocked to see her awake hours before predicted.
Doctor: "Aaliyah, this is… unexpected. We planned for twenty-four hours. You woke up in eight."
Aaliyah: "Is… that bad?"
Doctor: "No. It means your body is responding better than we thought. And the baby's heartbeat… it's stabilizing."
Damiano let out a breath he'd been holding for days. His forehead pressed against her hand as relief washed over him.
Then—
His body shook.
At first quietly.
Then uncontrollably.
He broke.
Damiano: "I thought I lost you… I thought I wasn't going to hear your voice again."
Aaliyah: weak smile "Damiano… I told you… I'm not going anywhere."
Tears rolled down his cheeks. For the first time, he didn't hide them.
But outside that fragile, emotional moment—chaos waited.
A nurse rushed in, panicked.
Nurse: "Security needs help. Someone from the media tried to sneak into maternity recovery pretending to be hospital staff."
Damiano's face hardened instantly, rage burning behind his exhaustion.
Damiano: "They WHAT?"
Nurse: "Security caught them, but they tried to take pictures of your room."
Before Damiano could explode, the door burst open and Winona and Dylan entered—both furious, both protective.
Winona: "We already called legal. No one is getting near her again."
Dylan: "I'm staying at the door tonight. I'd like to see anyone try to get past me."
Damiano nodded, grateful, overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, the world outside was erupting.
The news spread instantly:
"AALIYAH WAKES UP."
"ESTRELLA STILL FIGHTING."
"GLOBAL SUPPORT INTENSIFIES."
Hashtags flooded everywhere.
Messages from artists, actors, fans, even politicians.
For the first time in months…
There was no hate.
No rumors.
No attacks.
Just love.
Just prayers.
Just hope.
Damiano sat beside Aaliyah again, brushing her hair back gently.
Damiano: "The world's with us now, amore. They're all waiting for you and Estrella."
Aaliyah: "Then… we can't give up."
Her eyes were tired, but determined—shining with a fire that even the coma couldn't dim.
And Damiano smiled through his tears.
Because Aaliyah was back.
And Estrella… was still fighting.
Together, they weren't done yet.