The drive to the hospital was heavy with silence. Neither of them exchanged a single word.

Sophia kept her eyes on her phone, scrolling through the flurry of messages in the office group chat. Most were routine updates, directives she read with deliberate focus. She barely lifted her head, oblivious to the way Samuel’s gaze lingered on her through the rearview mirror, an unsettling shadow darkening his expression.

When they arrived at the hospital, Sophia tucked ...