The air in the private hospital corridor was cold, sterile, and thick with unspoken tensions. Linsy Helwart stood like a statue, her usual icy composure a fortress that few dared to assault. She was a woman who seemed carved from winter itself, her emotions locked away in permafrost, her demeanor suggesting a profound and utter indifference to the world's petty dramas.

Ceci, emboldened by this very coldness, had pushed and pushed, mistaking Linsy’s silence for weakness, her non-compliance for ...