ADRIAN'S Pov
The hospital smelled the same as always, antiseptic, cold air, and that faint trace of metal that clung to everything.
I used to hate it. Now, it felt like the only place where life made sense.
Mom smiled the moment she saw me walk through the door. “There’s my boy,” she whispered, her voice soft but warm.
I dropped my duffel on the chair and bent to hug her. She felt smaller somehow, lighter, like her bones were made of glass.
“You’re working too much again,” she said, pulling back to look at me. “You’ve got shadows under your eyes.”
I forced a laugh. “I could say the same about you.”
“Don’t deflect,” she teased gently. “What’s going on?”
I hesitated. For a moment, I wanted to tell her everything, that I was married to Soren Knight, that the world was tearing me apar
