air into her lungs. In. Out. A ragged,
er fingernails digging into her own arms. T
eason. It was a primal thing, a b
Hope died as her fingers met the familiar cold metal of the locks. They had been instal
d echoed in the
se than the disciplinary center. A memor
isease. A transplant was her only hope. And by a cruel twist of fa
They didn't ask. They informed her. It was her duty, they said. H
e logic, who had cornered her in the study and laid out the family's expectations as if reading the terms of a contract. "It's a simp
ssuring smile. He had held her hand, his touch warm and steady. He'd called her his "silly girl" for being so scar
ed him. She ha
d health. In her final days, too weak to even speak, she had overheard Adrian outside her hospital room.
h longer. Soon, there will be no one l
the phantom ache in her side, the icy ch
ay jolted her back to
of a key
of light into her dark prison. Two fi
as Is
as him. Adr
catching the light. That same gentle, disarming smile was fixed on hi
Adrian? I told you she was probably just
eyes were on the dark room. "Gavin has gone
a dim, sterile glow over the room. His eyes found Calista, huddled in the corner, her face ashen, her body
moved towards her, his hand out
f he were a hot iron. She scrambled away, pressing herself into the corner o
in mid-air. His smil
a picture of worry. "Sister, what's wr
A violent wave of nausea churned in her stomach. The ghost of a surgeon's scalpel slicing into
surgery. The hands that wore a Patek Philippe watch, glinting in th
t it was a physical force, rose up inside her.
. He had always seen himself as the one brother who could manage this
fear. It was the look you give to s
ing sound escaping her throat. She was afraid if she didn't, she
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