Mia’s voice was sharp in my ear, no room for argument.
“Nathaniel, you need to leave that place. Now.”
I didn’t reply. I only cut the line and slipped the phone into my pocket before heading back into the hospital room.
Xiao Lian stirred faintly, her eyes half-open but lucid. I stepped closer to her bedside, forcing a calm expression.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “I can’t wait until your grandmother wakes up. But I promise—I’ll visit the both of you again. Very soon.”
She looked up at me, her lips trembling as though she wanted to say more but couldn’t.
I reached into my jacket, pulled out a small **pendant on a thin silver chain**—a crest etched into it, one I had carried for years, a mark of my brother Daniel’s regiment. I pressed it gently into her palm and curled her fingers arou
