MasukAmber POVThe next two days passed quietly, at least by the standards our family had become accustomed to. I spent most of my time resting, but I was finally able to stay awake for longer periods, and the nurses no longer watched every movement I made with the same urgency as before. Lucas and Ethan remained close by, and having them in the room made everything feel a little more normal. For once, there wasn't an emergency unfolding every few minutes, although Adrian's condition remained a constant concern because he was still unconscious.Emory had spent most of those two days trying to determine exactly what had been done to him. When he finally came to my room with the latest results, I immediately knew there was something important in the folder he was carrying. He sat beside my bed and explained that Adrian hadn't been given the same dose of aconite that I had. In fact, his dose had been considerably higher, enough to cause severe toxicity, and the fact that he had survived long
Amber POVWaking up had been a miracle, but staying awake was proving to be considerably harder. I had been conscious for perhaps twenty minutes, and I was already exhausted enough to feel as though I had run a marathon. Every part of my body felt heavy, weak, and unfamiliar. Even lifting my hand required concentration, and whenever I tried to move my legs, they seemed to belong to someone else entirely. I hated it. I hated lying there unable to do anything, unable to sit up properly, unable to hold my own children, and unable to even speak for more than a few words without feeling like my entire body was demanding that I stop.Jason noticed my frustration almost immediately. "You need to rest." I glared at him, and he gave me an apologetic smile. "I know. You hate hearing that." I tried to speak, but my voice was still weak and rough from the ventilator. "I hate... this." His expression softened as he moved closer and carefully adjusted my pillows. "I know."Lucas and Ethan were slee
Jason POVAmber fell asleep not long after she woke up, and for the first few minutes, I couldn't bring myself to move away from her bedside. I kept watching her chest rise and fall beneath the blankets, listening to the steady rhythm of the monitors while Emory checked her one more time. When he finally stepped back, he gave me a reassuring look. "She's okay," he said quietly. "She's just exhausted. Her body has been through an incredible amount of stress, and waking up after everything she's been through has taken what little energy she had left." I nodded, but I still couldn't stop looking at her. After everything that had happened, hearing the words she's okay felt almost impossible to believe.The doctors decided that she was strong enough to breathe without the ventilator. They carefully removed the tube from her throat while I stood beside the bed, watching every movement. Amber barely stirred, too exhausted even to fully wake, and once the tube was gone, the medical team monit
Amber POVThe first thing I noticed when I woke up was the tube in my throat. For several seconds, I didn't understand what I was feeling. My mind was heavy and strangely distant, as though I were trying to wake from a dream I couldn't quite remember. Then I felt the hard plastic pressing against the back of my throat and the strange sensation of air being forced into my lungs, and panic immediately tried to take over. My first instinct was to reach up and pull it out. I wanted it gone. I didn't care what it was or why it was there. I just wanted to breathe on my own.My body, however, refused to cooperate. I tried to lift my hand, but it barely moved, and the effort sent a wave of exhaustion through me before my arm dropped back onto the bed as though someone had tied weights to my wrist. I forced myself to stop fighting. I had no idea how long I had been unconscious, but some distant part of my mind understood that fighting the machine wasn't going to help me. So I concentrated on b
Jason POVSeveral hours passed before the recovery team finally returned to the hospital. I had been expecting a call the entire time, but when the doors at the end of the corridor finally opened and I saw Mr. Stait walking in with several soldiers around a stretcher, my heart immediately started pounding. Jasmine and Noah were with them, both looking exhausted, and between them was Adrian.He was unconscious.For one horrible second, I thought he was dead. Then I saw his chest move beneath the blanket. Barely. His breathing was shallow and irregular, and an oxygen mask covered his face as the medical team rushed him toward the nearest treatment room."What happened?" I asked.Mr. Stait stopped only long enough to answer. "He was alive when we found him. He hasn't regained consciousness.""Why isn't he breathing properly?""We don't know yet."Before I could ask anything else, Emory appeared and took control of the medical team surrounding Adrian. He immediately began issuing instruct
Jason POVMr. Asher was already furious enough to personally tear River City apart, and I wouldn't have been surprised if seeing that photograph resulted in him trying to commandeer a military vehicle."Are the Wyatts definitely connected to the property?" I asked."Yes."There was no hesitation in Mr. Stait's answer this time. He took the phone back and explained that they'd established connections through the property's control structure, vehicles and personnel associated with the Wyatt branch. Jasmine's photograph had now given them something even more important: confirmation that Adrian was physically being held at the location."So they kidnapped their own family.""That's what the evidence indicates."I looked toward Amber. Mrs. Wyatt had allegedly ordered her poisoned, and now we had photographic evidence that her own grandson had been left unconscious inside a warehouse connected to the family. Adrian had refused to abandon Amber when his father pressured him to leave Asher Co
I didn’t cry. I didn’t shake. I didn’t look back, or mourned the life and the years i will never get back, lost forever. I just went home, time to pack and say goodbye to my old life. The penthouse doors opened with biometric recognition the moment I stepped inside. Floor-to-ceiling glass. Marb
We moved quickly through the hallway. Adrian walked behind me, gun raised, covering the corridor while I forced Henry Watson forward. The mansion was quieter than expected. Too quiet. Which meant either the guards were regrouping… or Jason was already on his way. I glanced over my shoulder.
Jason POV Marcus nearly slammed the brakes. “She shot the camera!” I leaned back slowly. Marcus looked at me. “What the hell was that?” I ran a hand over my face. “She said hello husband before she shot it.” Marcus stared. “…Okay.” Silence filled the car. “…What does that mean exactly?”
Family drama. Honestly, I was getting tired of it. I shifted slightly in the chair, letting the ropes around my wrists rub just enough to make the guards think I was uncomfortable. In truth, they had tied them loosely—political kidnappers rarely knew how to do proper restraints. Across from me,







