Only after the heavy mahogany door clicked shut behind him, leaving Sarah wrapped in the deep, undisturbed quiet of her sleep, did Jayden allow the agonizing tension in his shoulders to loosen. He stood in the dimly lit hallway for a long, heavy moment, resting his knuckles against the cool wood of the doorframe. Every instinct begged him to stay by her bedside, to watch the rise and fall of her chest, to shield her from the jagged reality waiting just beyond the threshold of her room. But duty—dark, pressing, and relentless—pulled him away.
Stepping into the corridor, Jayden found Killian already waiting, standing like a shadow at the end of the hall with an expression carved from quiet concern.
