Stephanie and Gabriel both tensed up. They didn’t like the look on Bernard’s face as he spoke. The old man had always been a pillar of calmness, the kind of presence that relaxed even the most chaotic of rooms, but now, there was no steadying force in his expression. His jaw was tight, and his brows were drawn closer than before. His eyes carried a heaviness that neither of them had seen before.
Stephanie was the first to react, she took a step forward, as her voice came out measured. “Bernard… tell us how to get the cure.”
Bernard’s gaze dropped to the floor as his fingers curled slightly against the edge of the bed beside him. The silence stretched just a second too long, a second that made the room feel smaller, and much more suffocating.
His hesitation only made Gabriel more tense.
