Chapter THIRTY ONE — The Committee’s Smile

The hospital wears its innocence well. Glass doors that whisper open. Floors polished to a shine that suggests purity. Fluorescent lights are bright enough to make anyone look clean. It’s a place built to convince you that if you follow the protocols, if you wash your hands, if you chart correctly, you can keep the rot out. But rot doesn’t always come in on dirty shoes. Sometimes, it comes in wearing a tie. I step through the staff entrance with security at my shoulder and my badge heavy against my chest, and I feel it immediately, the shift in the air. Not the stalker kind. The institution is kind. Eyes that slide off me too fast. Conversations that stop mid syllable. Smiles that arrive a second late. A nurse I’ve known for years gives me a look that’s half sympathy, half warning. “Hey, Dr. Vale,” she says softly. “You okay?” “I’m good,” I answer automatically, then correct myself because I’m tired of lying out of habit

Last Updated : 2026-02-12

Chapter 32 — Bassline Heartbeat

By late afternoon, the house feels like it’s been holding its shoulders up for days. Phones buzz, laptops glow, cameras blink their patient red eyes, and yet, somewhere between the kitchen island and the hallway Liberty decides she’s done letting fear be the only thing that gets to make plans.She corners me in the living room with the righteous intensity of a woman who has survived worse things than men.“We’re going out,” she announces.I blink at her. “Out where.”“Dinner,” she says, then corrects herself with a grin that looks like a dare. “And then dancing. Somewhere loud enough that your brain can’t replay beige conference rooms.”Rowan, on the couch arm, lifts an eyebrow. “She means club.”I feel my stomach tighten, instinctive. Crowds. Unknown faces. Darkness made social.“I have work,” I say automatically, because work is my oldest hiding place.Liberty points at me like she’s issuing an order. “Nice tr

Last Updated : 2026-02-14

All Chapters of Storm-Worn Hearts: Chapter 31 - Chapter 32

Chapter THIRTY ONE — The Committee’s Smile

Chapter 32 — Bassline Heartbeat