The tray hit the floor with a sharp metallic crash.
Time fractured.
The sound echoed through the hospital room like a gunshot, loud enough to slice through the frantic beeping of the heart monitor and the low hum of machines.
Every head turned.
The nurse stood frozen near the doorway, her hands trembling violently. Her eyes were wide—too wide.
The stainless steel tray spun slowly across the floor before settling beside the bed.
Clatter.
Clink.
Silence.
Lena’s heart began to pound.
Something about the moment felt wrong.
Not just panic.
Something worse.
The nurse wasn’t looking at the tray.
She was looking at Alex.
And Alex…
Alex had gone completely still.
The kind of stillness predators had right before they struck.
His eyes shifted slowly from the tray… to the nurse… to t
