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Chapter 20 — Pressure Points

Author: Monica Wild
last update publish date: 2026-05-05 16:51:28

The hospital room was quieter than it had been the day before.

Too quiet.

The steady beep of the monitor felt louder now that Estella was fully awake—no longer drifting in and out of sleep, no longer shielded by exhaustion.

Now, everything was clear again.

Including the problem waiting for her outside those walls.

Vivianne stood near the foot of the bed, tablet in hand, posture straight—but there was tension in her shoulders that she didn’t bother hiding.

Linda sat on the couch by the window, a
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