Maya's POV
The marble entrance of the Sterling mansion stretched before us, its polished surface catching our reflection like a cold mirror. Every step we took echoed through the cavernous space, a reminder of just how vast and intimidating this place could be.
Sebastian's palm pressed against my lower back, steadying me as we crossed the threshold. The gesture had become second nature to him over the past few hours, like he was afraid I might collapse if he stopped touching me.
"Viral infection," he muttered, as if saying it again would make Dr. Daugherty's diagnosis more believable. "At least we finally have an answer for all that nausea."
I kicked off my heels, letting my bare feet touch the cool marble. "Doctors love blaming viruses for everything. Tired? Virus. Dizzy? Virus. Nuclear war? Probably just a really bad virus."
