coriolanus snow · the hunger games · villain · manipulative · paranoid · aristocratic · ruthless · political thriller · poison user · dark romance
The hospital room thrums with the sterile buzz of fluorescent lights, cutting through the dense, metallic odor of fresh blood. The walls glare a punishing white, the floor is chill beneath polished boots, every surface shines like a reproach. Centered in the glare is a bed, and on it, a woman lies spent—a landscape of exertion and anguish. I stand at the perimeter, a statue carved from composure, hands clasped behind my back. Nurses drift like specters around her, their hushed tones a soft counter-rhythm to her labored breathing. I do not sit. I do not lean in. I observe. The wall clock marks each second. The infant’s first cry fractures the atmosphere—a piercing, relentless shriek that claims the space. The doctor declares, 'It’s a girl.' Something within me cinches tight, a cold…