Chapter 244

• Once Ryan had finally slipped into a deep, exhausted sleep, I quietly left his side and sought out Rafael. I found him in the study, his expression unreadable as I handed him the notebook with Ryan’s painstakingly written words.
• Rafael’s gaze darkened as he read. There was a hardness in his eyes, a shadow carved by years of navigating corporate wars and high-stakes negotiations one that, in a way, made him not so different from the ruthless figures who had broken Ryan’s spirit. But beneath that steel was something else: a deep, rare capacity for understanding.
• He sighed, a sound heavy with both regret and resolve. “We’ll take this slow,” he promised, his voice low but steady. “I’ll try to be gentler. Smile more. Ryan needs time to heal, in every sense.”