AUTHOR'S POV
The following morning...
The sun broke over the horizon, casting long, muted shadows across the pavement. The air was crisp, carrying the distinct, bittersweet scent of a summer that was rapidly drawing to a close.
Ryker drove David to a rehabilitation center recommended by the hospital. The drive had been entirely silent, the heavy hum of the engine the only sound filling the cabin.
David looked terrified. His knuckles were white where he gripped his own knees, his gaze fixed on the sterile brick building looming ahead. It looked less like a place of healing and more like a fortress he wasn't sure he had the strength to climb.
"What if I fail?" David’s voice cracked, sounding incredibly small. The raw vulnerability in it was a stark contrast to the man he had tried so ha
