Chapter 265

• When we reached Ryan’s suite, the soft chime of the security lock signaled our entry. Anna, my trusted house manager, stepped out into the hallway to greet us, her expression lined with concern.
• Inside, Ryan was already in bed, propped up against plush gray pillows with his tablet beside him. The pre-treatment sedative sat untouched on the bedside table. He’d made his decision no shortcuts, no numbing the pain. He wanted to heal the hard way. The real way.
• I walked in, my heels silent against the polished hardwood floors. I immediately noticed the tension everyone was trying to keep their composure. The energy in the room buzzed with quiet dread, as though everyone knew the gravity of the moment but didn’t dare to name it.