Ethan’s heart sank as the full weight of his situation finally hit him. Even if he survived the robbery, his life could still be ruined.The company was not going to believe that he had simply been an innocent victim. Millions of dollars’ worth of high priority technology had been placed in his care, and now it was being loaded into the thieves’ vans right in front of him. When the company discovered what had happened, they would want someone to blame.That someone would be him.The thought made Ethan’s stomach twist.He could already imagine the questions.Why had he stopped?Why had he not protected the shipment?Why had he failed to report anything suspicious?The answers would not matter. The company had lost millions, and Ethan was the driver responsible for the delivery. If they decided to make him pay for the loss, the debt would be impossible for him to clear.His mother needed twelve thousand dollars. He could barely survive on his current income.How was he supposed to repay

Ethan remained completely still.For several seconds, he kept staring at the empty space above his bed, waiting for the strange panel to appear again. Nothing happened. There was only the white hospital ceiling, the quiet beep of the heart monitor beside him, and the faint hum of the air conditioner.Everything looked normal, but Ethan didn't feel normal. A strange warmth still moved through his body. It was faint now, almost like a gentle heat beneath his skin, but he could feel it clearly. He looked down at his hands and slowly raised his right one.He opened and closed his fingers, the movement feeling different. His fingers moved with surprising ease, each one responding exactly when he wanted it to. There was no weakness, no stiffness, and none of the heaviness he had felt when he first woke up.Ethan stared at his hand. “This isn't real,” he whispered, the words sounding weak even to his own ears.He had lived in this body for twenty-six years. He knew how his body felt. He knew

“You’re supposed to be dead,” the man said quietly, almost conversationally, as though he were making an ordinary observation.Ethan kept his face blank, but every muscle in his body had tightened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied carefully, forcing his voice to remain calm despite the alarm spreading through his mind.The man studied him for a moment before a thin smile appeared on his face. “Don’t bother pretending,” he said, his voice almost amused.He reached up and pulled the nurse’s lanyard over his head. The plastic identification card slipped free and struck the tiled floor with a soft clatter. He let it remain there as though it had already served its purpose.“I watched them roll your body into the morgue three days ago,” he continued, his eyes never leaving Ethan’s face. “Head shot. Close range. There was enough damage that nobody expected you to survive.”Ethan’s breathing slowed.The man casually glanced toward the space just above Ethan’s brow, and th

The man came at low at Ethan, feinting toward his ribs before suddenly snapping a punch toward his jaw.Ethan's body reacted before his mind could even process the attack, and some unfamiliar instinct made him lean his head back just enough for the man's knuckles to skim past his face instead of connecting. The punch missed by inches, but the force of it still cut through the air beside Ethan's ear with a sharp crack that made his stomach tighten.He barely had time to react before the man's other hand drove forward, aiming a powerful palm strike straight at his chest.Ethan twisted his hips on instinct and raised his forearm, catching the blow at an angle and knocking it away instead of allowing it to hit him directly. Even so, the impact sent a sharp burst of pain through his arm, and he stumbled backward until his leg struck the foot of the shattered hospital bed.The man slowly straightened and began circling him, blood still running down the side of his face from the cut Ethan ha

A commotion rose from the hallway outside, hospital security finally arriving in force, voices shouting instructions, radios crackling with confused chatter about a break in and a shattered window.Renata glanced toward the hallway, listening to the hurried footsteps growing louder outside the room. Her expression tightened slightly as she realized she had stayed longer than she intended.“I don't have long,” she said, lowering her voice as she turned back to Ethan. “Whoever sent Ansel is going to know this attempt failed within the hour. Once they do, they'll have two choices. They can send someone stronger, or they can pull back and regroup.”Her eyes moved briefly toward the shattered window where Ansel had disappeared into the darkness.“Either way, you're not safe here anymore,” she continued, her voice firm. “Not completely. Not until you're strong enough to stop worrying about men like him walking through your door.”Ethan's expression hardened.The thought of another person en