#Chapter 19: A Dark Plan

Lauren The lights flickered, then went out, plunging the elevator into darkness. The sudden silence felt suffocating, broken only by the groan of the stalled elevator. I gasped, my hands instinctively reaching for balance as the space seemed to shrink around me. “Are you okay?” Alexander’s voice cut through the dark, low and steady, but laced with concern. “I’m fine,” I snapped, though my knees wobbled beneath me. “Hold on,” he murmured, closer now. His hand brushed mine—a fleeting touch that sent a jolt through me. “I don’t need your help,” I bit out, jerking my hand away, though the trembling in my voice betrayed me. “Of course you don’t,” he said, his tone wry but gentle. “But humor me.” The elevator’s stillness dragged me into memories I fought to forget. The cold sterility of the operating room, the fear, the crushing helplessness. My chest tightened, my breath coming in shallow gasps as panic clawed its way to the surface. “Lauren?” Alexander’s voice softened, cut