Then Amiyah appears, breathless, eyes shining with concern. James is at her side, steady and protective, and Calla walks in with that same controlled intensity she always carries.
And then I see him.
Calil.
He doesn’t hesitate. The moment his eyes find me—something raw crosses his face— fear stripped bare. He moves past everyone without a word and comes straight to my bedside, crouching slightly so we’re eye level.
“Hey,” he says quietly, voice thick. “How bad is it?”
His hand hovers for half a second, like he’s asking permission, then gently rests on my arm, careful of the IV, careful of me. His touch is reverent, like I’m something fragile and precious all at once.
“I’m okay,” I murmur. “They caught it early.”
He exhales, long and shaky. “Jesus, Lena.” His eyes search my face, my shoulders, like he’s checking for cracks only he can see. “You scared the hell out of me.”
I feel it then. The weight of the room is shifting.
Everyone is watching us.
Ajaih’s brows knit together in confusion. Maverick and Knox exchange a glance. Amiyah’s lips part slightly, surprise flickering across her face. Even Calla’s composure falters just a touch as she studies the way Calil’s hand never leaves my arm, the way his body angles protectively toward mine.
They don’t know.
They don’t know how close Calil and I have become. The long conversations. The quiet laughter. The way friendship blurred weeks ago into something neither of us had plannedfor, something that changed the air between us forever in his brother’s bathroom.
I should feel exposed. Instead, I feel… held.
Calil adjusts my blanket without being asked, smooths it over my legs, his movements instinctive. He asks the nurse questions before I even think to. He presses a kiss to my knuckles without realizing he’s done it.
I am simpering internally, warmth blooming in my chest despite the ache in my body.
And then I feel it.
Zaria.
She hasn’t said a word, but I don’t need her to. The irritation rolls off her in quiet waves, controlled but potent. Her jaw is tight, her gaze sharp as it flicks from Calil’s hand on me to his face, then back again.
Possession settles over her like a veil, beautiful and dangerous.
I know that look.
She is trying to be generous. Trying to be patient. But this is her territory, and she does not like the way he is standing in it so confidently.
I meet her eyes, offering a silent reassurance, a grounding tether. Her expression softens just a fraction, but the tension remains, humming beneath her skin.
This room holds too many truths.
Too many emotions.
Too many hearts pulling at me in different directions.
And as I lie there, surrounded by people who love me in ways they don’t yet understand, I realize this is only the beginning of the reckoning.
The room slowly empties the way storms do, not all at once, but in careful retreats.
Ajaih kisses my forehead first, her eyes soft but sharp, the way they get when she’s cataloging details for later. Maverick squeezes my hand, steady and grounding, and Knox gives me a nod that carries more care than words ever could.
“We’ll be back tomorrow,” Ajaih says. “Early.”
