The hospital hallways had mostly gone quiet now. Visiting hours were over, most staff were wrapping up their shifts, and the city lights beyond the tall glass windows painted faint reflections on the floor.
Ethan had stayed close to Tara the entire time since the incident — through the police questioning, through the quiet cleanup of her office, and even as she thanked the security team one by one. He hadn't left her side, not even for a moment.
And she couldn't help but remember the way he had said, "You don't thank me for protecting what's mine."
When she finally closed the file she'd been signing and pushed it across the desk, he reached for her hand.
"Come with me," he said softly.
She looked up at him, her dark eyes still holding the faint sheen of earlier tears. "Where?"
"Just… come."
