Semua Bab Goodbye, my mate: Bab 261 - Bab 264

Leah's POVThe next morning, I woke to a bed that felt too big, too empty. The sheets beside me were cold, the imprint of Darren's body gone like he'd never been there at all. My chest tightened, a jagged panic slicing through me. The moon's bloody glare from last night still lingered in my mind, and now this—him missing again. I bolted upright, heart slamming against my ribs, sweat beading on my scarred skin. Those marks from the slave market itched, a reminder of chains I'd never fully shed. He couldn't be gone. Not after everything.I stumbled out of bed, bare feet hitting the floorboards with a slap that echoed in the too-quiet house. My breath came fast, shallow, as I tore down the stairs, the ache in my bones screaming from the night before. A clatter drifted up from below—metal on metal, faint but real. My pulse stuttered. Maybe he hadn't left me. Maybe he was still mine.The kitchen doorway loomed ahead, and I caught the scent first—gre

Leah's POVI walked into the clinic, its low-key luxury pressing against me like a velvet glove hiding claws. The air bit at my skin, cool and sterile, a frail shield against the chaos clawing inside my chest. The place reeked of money - polished wood, soft lighting - but it couldn't drown out the stench of my own fear.I was halfway through the door when this security guard stepped in front of me, all stiff like he’d caught me trespassing. "Ma'am, may I ask who you are and why are you here?""Leah Winters, coming for Dr. Aspen Monk," I replied.He squinted at his clipboard, flipping pages like it was some top-secret file. "Uh… I don't see your appointment listed."Before I could answer, another guard - older, salt-and-pepper mustache - grabbed his elbow and jerked his chin toward the wall. "Winters Clinic," he muttered, like it was obvious. "This is Mrs. Winters. Her clinic."Kid turned beet red. "Oh, shit. I mean, sorry, Mrs.