Ryan’s breath came out sharp and fast as the car skidded to a stop. For a second, the world felt strange and quiet. Too quiet. Even the gunshots seemed to stop. Ava lay across his lap, her breathing slow, her skin cold, her blood soaking through his shirt.Clara was crying silently beside her, her hands shaking as she held Ava’s arm. Ryan’s uncle and Rocas scanned the shadows outside, ready to fight again.Ryan swallowed hard, forcing the panic down. Not now… not her… not like this.The shadows stepped forward again. Four men. Then five. Then more. They surrounded the car like wolves closing in on a wounded deer.A strong voice rose from the darkness.“Ryan… step out. Leave the girl. Walk away.”Ryan lifted his head slowly. Anger burned through him. “Over my dead body,” he said, voice low.The tall man stepped into the light. He was smiling. A cruel smile. “That can be arranged.”Clara gasped and pressed her hand harder over Ava’s wound. “Ryan… she’s bleeding more… she’s gettin

The hallway stayed quiet for some time. Everyone was tired and scared. Clara sat on the bench with her head down. Rocas stayed beside her, holding her hand so she wouldn’t break down again. Ryan leaned on the wall close to the critical care room, his shirt still stained with Ava’s blood. His face looked pale because he had donated blood, but he didn’t care about his own body. His mind stayed on Ava.After a long silence, Clara looked up slowly. Her eyes were swollen from crying. She stared at Ryan with a weak voice.“Ryan… what did the doctor say again? Is she… she is alive, right?”Ryan nodded slowly. “Yes. She is alive… but very weak. They said she needs time to fight.”Clara wiped her face. “I am scared. So scared. I don’t want to lose her.”Rocas pulled her close. “She will not die. She is strong. Ava always fights.”Clara sniffed. “I know… but seeing her like that… I felt my heart break.”Ryan looked at the closed door of the critical care room. He wished he could break it

Ryan sat outside the treatment room with his head in his hands. His mind was on Ava. Her bleeding. Her weak heartbeat. The doctor’s worried face.He felt like he was losing everything.Then suddenly—“Ryan…”A weak voice came from behind him.Ryan jumped up immediately. His uncle was awake, lying on the hospital bed with a bandage around his shoulder. He looked pale, but alive.Ryan rushed to his side. “Uncle! Thank God. How do you feel?”His uncle winced in pain but forced a small smile. “I’m… I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”But the first thing he asked was not about himself.“Where is Ava? Did they save her?”Ryan swallowed hard. His uncle’s voice was shaky but full of worry. “She’s still in surgery,” Ryan said softly. “She lost too much blood. They’re trying their best.”His uncle closed his eyes for a moment, breathing slowly. “That girl… she’s strong. She will fight.”Ryan nodded, though fear was still choking him.After a moment of silence, his uncle opened his eyes again and w

The day moved slowly inside the hospital. Every minute felt like one full hour. Ryan paced the hallway nonstop, his eyes never leaving Eric. Eric stayed in the hospital with them, but everything he did looked suspicious.Sometimes he walked outside to “make calls.” Sometimes he stood near the nurses’ desk, pretending to read something. Sometimes he looked toward the emergency room door when he thought no one was watching.Rocas watched him with sharp eyes.Clara sat on a bench holding herself, shaking from worry. She didn’t even notice Eric’s strange behavior. Her mind was only on Ava.Ryan’s uncle was asleep in the other room after receiving his treatment. The doctor said he needed rest. Ryan kept checking on him too.But something kept pulling Ryan’s attention back to Eric.At one point, Eric bent over and whispered something to a man wearing a cap. The man nodded and walked away quickly. Ryan clenched his jaw.*He is planning something… I know it…*But before Ryan could walk to

The corridor of the hospital felt colder than before. Ryan stood beside Clara and Mrs. Harrison, watching silently as two nurses pushed the covered body of his uncle-in-law down the hallway. The white sheet looked too still… too final. Ryan felt something heavy settle in his chest, something he didn’t have the right words for. It didn’t feel real. Just an hour ago, they were all hoping. Now everything had changed.Mrs. Harrison held her scarf tightly with shivering hands. Her eyes were red from crying, but she kept wiping them, as if she didn’t want to accept what had happened. *“My husband’s brother…”* she whispered, her voice breaking into pieces. Clara stepped closer and gently held her mother’s hand. Even though Clara was scared and sad herself, she knew Mrs. Harrison needed support.The nurses stopped in front of the mortuary room. One of them bowed his head respectfully. “Please… allow us,” he said softly. Mrs. Harrison nodded with difficulty, and the nurses slowly pushed