For a moment, the corridor felt too narrow to contain the storm building inside him. His thoughts scattered like broken glass. Every possible interpretation of that sentence hit him at once, each more painful than the last.
Her voice — the doctor had said she whispered it like a frightened child clinging to her last breath.
Don’t let him find me.
He tasted metal on his tongue, the bitterness of fear mixed with something darker — guilt.
Andreas stood a few steps behind him, unsure whether to speak or stay quiet. He watched his boss with the carefulness of someone tiptoeing near a wounded animal, one wrong move and the pain might turn violent.
“Sir…” he repeated softly.
Gabriel didn’t respond. His eyes remained locked on the door, as if Isabella might walk out at any moment, smiling we
