Todos los capítulos de The Surgeon's Debt : Capítulo 31 - Capítulo 40

Chapter 31: 3:00AM Clara Tossing and turning under my sheets proved entirely useless. Every time I closed my eyes, Dante’s golden gaze and the heavy, terrifying warmth of his hand on my jaw replayed in my mind.Giving up on sleep, I slipped out of bed and walked down to the dimly lit kitchen. The cold glass of warm milk I prepped did little to soothe my nerves, but it gave my hands something to hold.On my way back up the grand staircase, my feet naturally slowed as I approached the North Wing. I stopped right outside Dante's double doors. Just a quick medical check, I reasoned with myself. He has a long trip tomorrow.I leaned my ear closer to the heavy wood, expecting silence. Instead, I heard a low, stifled groan, followed by the sharp, metallic clatter of something falling to the floor inside.He was awake. And he was struggling.Forgetting my own rule about trespassing, I quietly turned the handle and pushed the door open.The bedside lamp was on, casting a dim, amber glow acros

Chapter 33: Dark Past Clara The steady, quiet rhythm of Dante’s breathing filled the space between us. His knuckles were still brushing lightly against mine, a tiny anchor of warmth in the vast, shadow-draped room. The raw honesty of his confession about his siblings still vibrated in the air, loosening a knot inside my own chest that I had kept tightly bound for years.I looked down at our hands, watching the faint pulse beating in his wrist. "I know what it’s like," I murmured, the words slipping out into the quiet before my mind could flag them as a risk. "To build your entire life around the wreckage of someone else's choices."Dante didn't move, but I felt his entire frame go perfectly still, his golden eyes tracking my profile in the amber light. "Your brother?""My father, first," I corrected softly, a bitter, distant smile touching my lips. "Leo didn't just become like this out of nowhere. He watched our father do it. My dad was a brilliant man, but he had a sickness. Gambli

Chapter 35: The Training Grounds II Clara The silence that followed was heavy, filled only with the sound of my shallow breathing. Dante didn't move toward me. He stood in the center of the mat, his eyes mapping out the dirt on my hoodie and the slight redness on my shoulder where Marco had gripped me. The ruthless, protective Capo from a moment ago slowly softened, but he kept his posture perfectly rigid, maintaining the boundary we had drawn last night."You should have told him to back off, Clara," he said quietly, his voice carrying a lingering trace of anger, though it wasn't directed at me."I was doing my job," I replied, my voice shaky but stubborn as I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. "You're the one who told me to survive."A faint, ghost of a smirk touched the corner of Dante's lips, his golden eyes holding that quiet, intoxicating heat that made my heart hammer for an entirely different reason."You hit him," he murmured, a hint of dark approval

Chapter 37: The Boundaries of PowerDante The heavy mahogany door of my private study clicked shut, cutting off the humid morning air from the courtyard. I walked over to the liquor cabinet, my jaw clenched as a sharp, rhythmic burn flared up in my right flank. My stitches were pulling, a quiet reminder from my body that I had pushed it past its limit.I ignored the pain, pouring myself two fingers of bourbon.Leaving for the southern territory at dawn had been the plan. But when I had woken up in the dark, the lingering warmth of Clara’s fingers on my skin and the raw tremor in her voice as she spoke of her past had anchored my feet to this house. I told myself it was strategy—that a Capo does not travel while bleeding out. But as I downed the amber liquid, the truth tasted much more dangerous. I had stayed to ensure she was safe.A sharp knock broke the silence."Enter," I commanded, turning around to lean against the edge of my massive oak desk, crossing my arms over my chest.The

Chapter 39: The Grip of the BladeClara Alex’s words hung in the air long after Marco's heavy footsteps had faded completely down the corridor. The breakfast table suddenly felt much too large, and the quiet tea in my cup had grown cold."I'm aware of the storm, Alex," I said softly, setting the porcelain cup back down onto its saucer with a sharp click. "I've been navigating it since the moment I was brought here."Luca let out a sharp, sudden whistle, effectively cutting through the somber atmosphere. "Spoken like a true survivor, Doc. See? I told you she’s got a bit of that Moretti steel in her." He stood up from his chair, casually stretching his arms over his head before tossing his linen napkin onto the table. "Well, I’m off to check the east perimeter tech lines before the southern feed updates. Good luck with the blade training, Clara. Try not to nick Alex's pretty face."With a quick, playful wink, Luca swaggered out of the dining room, his lighthearted demeanor doing very l