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Chapter 20: The Sudden Collapse
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2026-03-21 18:35:42Renaud didn’t fall like a man in a movie.
He folded.
One second he was holding himself upright with pure will, fingers white on the table edge, and the next his knees gave a little, like his body had quietly resigned.
“Renaud…” I caught his arm.
His skin felt warmer than it should have, and his breathing sounded wrong…shallow, clipped, like he couldn’t decide whether to inhale or spit.
He tried to straighten. Pride. Habi
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VOWS IN THE WAR ROOM Chapter 20: The Sudden Collapse
Renaud didn’t fall like a man in a movie.He folded.One second he was holding himself upright with pure will, fingers white on the table edge, and the next his knees gave a little, like his body had quietly resigned.“Renaud…” I caught his arm.His skin felt warmer than it should have, and his breathing sounded wrong…shallow, clipped, like he couldn’t decide whether to inhale or spit.He tried to straighten. Pride. Habit. Stubbornness. Pick one.“Don’t,” I said, sharper than I meant. “Just…don’t.”His eyes found mine and didn’t quite hold. That scared me more than the sway.Across from us, Mr. Duvet’s smile had cracked. It was still on his face, but it wasn’t attached to anything underneath anymore.“Oh dear,” he said too loud. “Is he unwell?”“No,” I snapped. Then, because denial
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