Between Two Shadows

The hospital lobby was no place for men like them. Yet there they stood—two storms caged in silence.

Lucian stood near the reception desk, a figure of cold precision, his tailored suit immaculate, his dark gaze fixed on the elevator.

Amara had just taken minutes ago. His expression betrayed nothing, but inside, a war raged.

He hated hospitals—the smell of helplessness, the reminder that power and money couldn’t command life itself.

And yet, here he was. Because she was here.

He told himself it was duty, appearances, obligation.

But when he pictured her hunched over her mother’s fragile body, her tears soaking the sheets, the words rang hollow.

Ethan’s presence only sharpened the ache.

Across the lobby, Ethan leaned against a column, arms crossed, his posture deceptively casual.

But his eyes were sharp, cutting toward Lucian every few seconds, as though daring him to speak first.

He hadn’t come here out of pity. He wasn’t built for pity. No, he came because Amara mattered to him i