Chapter 10
The pale gray light of morning filtered through the hospital blinds, casting long, clean stripes across the white sheets of the bed. Clara had dozed off sitting upright in her chair, her chin resting against her hand, while Julian remained rigidly awake, his eyes fixed on Maya’s face.
A faint cough broke the quiet hum of the room.
Julian sat up straight so fast his chair scraped loudly against the floor. He leaned over Maya, his heart hammering against his ribs. "Maya? Can you hear me?"
Maya’s eyelids fluttered, heavy and resistant to the light. Her lips parted, dry and cracked, and she emitted a soft, confused moan. Her hand twitched within Julian’s grasp, her fingers curling around his thumb with an instinctive, recognizable strength.
Clara woke instantly at the sound, sitting up and rushing to the other side of the bed. "Maya? Oh, thank God. Maya, look at me."
Maya slowly turned her head toward Clara. Her eyes, the same warm brown as Clara’s, blinked several times before focusing on the two faces looking down at her with unfiltered devotion. Her voice was a fragile whisper, barely carrying over the sound of the monitor. "Julian... Clara? What... what happened?"
"You're safe," Julian said, his voice thick with emotion he struggled to swallow back. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "You're in the hospital. Marcus tried to... well, Marcus isn't a problem anymore. The police have him."
Maya frowned, a flicker of cognitive memory returning behind her eyes. "The research... the trial data..."
"The data is safe," Clara reassured her, leaning down to smooth a stray lock of hair away from her sister’s forehead. "The encryption held, and the authorities intercepted his transfer before it cleared the local network. You don't need to worry about the company right now. Just focus on breathing."
Maya closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a long sigh that seemed to shed the last remnants of the chemical fog clouding her brain. When she opened them again, the clarity in her gaze was unmistakable. She looked from Julian to Clara, noticing the subtle tension that still lingered between them, and a faint, knowing smile touched the corners of her mouth.
May you like
"It took you both almost dying to finally sit in the same room without shouting, didn't it?" Maya whispered, her voice gaining a touch of its characteristic dry humor.
Julian let out a short, genuine laugh, running a hand over his face. Clara smiled, shaking her head as a tear finally slipped down her cheek—not of panic or sorrow, but of pure, unadulterated relief.
