Chapter 98

Aisha's POV It started with the way Emma smiled at him. Not the usual polite smile she offered everyone in the hospital, nor the friendly ones reserved for council meetings or patient families. No, this smile was different. Softer. Like the corners of her mouth carried a secret she wasn't quite ready to share. I noticed it one afternoon during a debriefing in the east wing. Thomas was explaining the new alliance protocols, pacing by the window, completely focused. Emma watched him with that strange glow in her eyes—and when he said something that made everyone laugh, she reached for his arm, instinctively, briefly, and then snatched it back like it burned. That's when I knew. After the meeting, I caught her in the hallway just as she was gathering her tablet and files. "You like him," I said simply. Emma flushed a deep red. "I—I don't know what you're talking about." I raised a brow. "Emma, you just stared at Thomas like he was a dessert tray." She groaned and leaned against the wall,