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“Fuck all this waiting!” My anger and panic grew with every passing moment. “I’m going back there if we don’t hear anything in the next fifteen minutes.”

“Niko,” Cali whispered, tugging at my sleeve with trembling urgency. “Please, come sit beside me.”

The thought of holding back felt like a betrayal to her. How could I possibly sit by and do nothing while she fought for her life behind those sterile doors? Yet the sorrow in Cali’s eyes mirrored my own and silently begged for comfort.

Reluctantly, I sat beside her, wrapping my arm around her trembling shoulders in a tight embrace. Her soft sobs blended with the ticking of the clock on the wall, each beat echoing our shared fear.

“Avra and Vik will be here soon,” I informed her. “Pavlos called them.”

Cali nodded, her shoulders still trembling as another wave of sobs wracked her body. “I know,” she managed between gasps.

“She’s going to be okay, Cali,” I repeated, trying to reassure her, but everything I said sounded hollow to my own ears. “I promise.”

We sat in a heavy silence that stretched on, caught between hope and despair. Every second felt eternal as the uncertainty of her fate gripped me. Despite my inner turmoil, I clung fiercely to the belief that she would pull through.

Across the room, Pavlos met my gaze with a weary expression, creating a fleeting moment of shared understanding amid our sorrow.

It felt like hours passed in that oppressive waiting room before a doctor finally emerged. He moved slowly, his bright blue eyes dark with worry and unreadable thoughts. Cali and I instantly stood up, hope battling the desperation within us.

“Mr. Galanis?” he asked, extending a hand that trembled slightly as I shook it.

Without waiting for more, I managed a tight nod.

“Is my wife, okay?” I demanded, the weight of every unsaid prayer and silent tear pressing down on me as I searched his face for any sign of hope.

He gave me a firm nod, his eyes steady as he spoke. “She survived the surgery. She’s asking for you. Follow me, and I’ll take you to see her.”

“Can I come too?” Cali asked. “She’s my sister.”

She was coming with us, whether the doctor liked it or not.

He glanced in my direction, met my scowl, and then turned to Cali.

“Sure,” he replied with a curt nod, then turned on his heel.

We fell into step behind him, my heart hammering in my chest with a mix of dread and hope.

Layana was alive—she was okay! I closed my eyes for a brief moment, whispering a silent prayer of gratitude to the very god I had nearly condemned only moments earlier.

Cali squeezed my hand, her gaze tentative yet reassuring.

“It’s okay,” I murmured to her.

The doctor guided us down what seemed like an endless series of immaculate white hallways. Our shoes clicked rhythmically on the shiny linoleum floor, each step echoing against the sterile walls. The corridor was lit by fluorescent bulbs reflecting off every polished surface, while the scent of antiseptic mixed with an unidentifiable clinical aroma. Upon reaching a door on our right, the doctor opened it and motioned for us to enter.

“I’ll be right back,” he assured me in a calm, measured tone before stepping away. “I just need a minute, then I’ll return to discuss your wife’s condition.”

“Her condition?” My entire body froze like a shockwave, immediately tightening the grip of worry in my gut.

I had only heard that she had made it through the surgery. Was there something else that had gone horribly wrong?

I rushed through the door. My eyes immediately fell upon Layana’s fragile form lying in the sterile room.

I stood frozen, unable to do anything but stare at her, entangled in a maze of wires connected to beeping machines. Her exposed shoulders revealed bruises and bandaged areas that sharply contrasted with her pallid skin.

A fresh surge of anger welled up inside me, nearly boiling over as I silently cursed my brothers under my breath while I advanced as fast as possible in her direction without running.

She lifted her head as I reached out to take her hand.