Chapter 60: Questions Without Answers

The quiet hum of machines filled the hospital room, interrupted only by the steady tick of the wall clock and the occasional shuffle of nurses beyond the door. Gray sat upright in the hospital bed, a blanket draped loosely over his legs. His hair was still damp from a morning shower, his features sharper now after days of shedding the haze of sedatives and silence. The light from the window fell across his profile — a stark contrast to the storm still raging behind his eyes. Isabel stood by the window, phone pressed to her ear. The moment Jessica answered, Isabel’s voice softened instinctively. “Jess? Any word on Amelia?” There was a pause on the other end, and then Jessica’s tired voice came through. “She’s home. She came back last night.” Isabel let out a breath she hadn’t realized