Chapter 57 Fifty Seven

• RYAN’S POV
• The doctor came in quietly, his coat smelling of antiseptic. He glanced at me once, gave a curt bow of respect, and then went straight to Ariel. She shifted slightly under the covers, her face pale, bruises running faint along her cheekbone, the seam of her lips dry and cracked. She’d looked at me earlier with guilt in her eyes, with tears she tried to hide, but now her eyes were closed again—just barely—lashes trembling like it burned, and it gutted me even more, real, and I hadn't been there for her.
• The doctor exhaled through his nose and placed the chart down, dragging out a long sigh that signaled something was wrong.