Breathing more calmly, I stayed close to Jacob while standing in the hallway with these new, important-looking people.
I tried to prepare myself for whatever was going to happen next.
My heart skipped when I heard a door open — and in walked Doctor Summer Southwark, the older woman who had quietly been keeping me alive in this institution without asking anything in return.
Her warm smile made me feel instantly safer.
She moved through the crowd with her clipboard tucked under one arm, walking straight to me like I was the only patient in the world.
For a moment, the cold, sterile hall didn’t seem so intimidating.
At the same time, the eldest man from Jacob’s team—the one whose presence alone made the room feel heavier—turned to Jacob and spoke with a firm voice.
“We agree with the p
