CHAPTER 46
Ryle stood in the recovery room doorway for only a few seconds, taking in the scene: Lauren, exhausted and protective, leaning over Finn, their hands gently linked. The intimacy of the moment—the sheer, naked emotional connection—was like a physical assault on Ryle’s calculated indifference.
It confirmed everything he needed to destroy.
He turned without making a sound and pulled the heavy door shut, leaving Lauren unaware of his visit. He didn’t need to stay and deliver the debt lecture; the image was enough to set his blood on fire.
Ryle was consumed by a blinding, visceral fury, yet he could not pinpoint its source. He refused to acknowledge the emotion, viewing the intense, unpredictable surge of anger as an unfamiliar and unacceptable flaw in his Champion’s composure.
