The doctor extended his hand. Mr. Sterling, Lucas shook it. Thank you for coming. Normally, securing a consultation with someone of this caliber would take weeks, but Lucas had quietly leveraged years of professional connections. Not for himself, for Rose, just as he had anonymously helped Hannah before. The specialist reviewed the case carefully, then nodded.
I can perform the procedure. Relief washed through Lucas. For the first time in days, he felt hope. The doctor paused. Your family. Lucas glanced toward the hallway where Hannah waited, unaware. No. The answer was simple. But it carried 3 years of hidden feelings. 3 years of sacrifices made from the shadows.
3 years of loving someone who didn’t know he existed. Elsewhere in the hospital, Marcus Reed was becoming increasingly desperate. His sources had failed. His investigators had failed, and now Rose’s hospitalization threatened to speed up events beyond his control. For the first time since targeting Hannah, he decided patience was no longer enough.
