Ryder's POV

The last person I expected to see walking into my hospital room was my mother.

Serena Caldwell stood in the doorway looking like she'd been through hell—her usual perfect appearance replaced by bruises that makeup couldn't fully hide, her designer clothes wrinkled, her confident posture reduced to something almost fragile.

"Hello, Ryder," she said quietly.

"Mom?" I struggled to sit up straighter, ignoring the spike of pain in my shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to ...