Emilia's POV
For a long, breathless moment, no one moved.
Maximus stood in the doorway like a ghost from another life—his eyes locked on the doctor as though he’d just seen someone crawl out of his nightmares. His chest rose and fell too fast, his fists clenched at his sides.
The doctor didn’t flinch. She just stood there, calm, poised, her lips curved in that same soft smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“You—” Maximus started, his voice low, hoarse. He stopped himself.
Something heavy hung in the air—thick, charged, suffocating.
I could feel it pressing against my chest, wrapping around my ribs until every breath came shallow. My heart pounded so loud it drowned out the steady beep of the machine beside me.
I turned slowly to Damien, my throat tightening. “Do they… know each other?
