Norman's POV
The living room, usually a place of quiet contemplation or brisk business calls, felt like a cage. I paced its enormous length, back and forth, the polished marble reflecting my restless strides. Each step was heavy with unspoken worry, a physical manifestation of the storm raging in my mind. What was happening to Riley?
It was infuriating. I was used to having control, to finding solutions. But with Riley, I was utterly, completely helpless. All I could do was wait, and hope. And that hope, fragile as it was, now rested entirely on Kirk. My eccentric brother, the one I’d always dismissed as an unserious fellow.
I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, trying to push down the wave of anxiety. Hope was a dangerous thing right now, a thin thread I was clinging to. I had to bel
