#Chapter 22: Plan in Motion

Lauren's POV The hospital lights buzzed faintly overhead, their sterile glow reflecting off the glossy tiles and making the air feel colder than it was. My skin prickled as I stood near the window, the distant sounds of muffled voices and rolling gurneys filling the silence. A day had passed since I was mysteriously locked in the hospital operating room. There was no culprit yet, but that wasn’t my main concern. Alexander was somewhere in the building, and I could feel his presence like a weight pressing down on my chest. Something had shifted, and I could sense it. He had been acting odd since our last run-in, watching me with a sharpness that made my skin crawl. It was like he was following me, but not quite. It wasn’t like him to linger, not when work always consumed him. So why was he so focused on me? Why not his real family? Like Owen, who had been found later that dreadful night, blissfully unaware of everything. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, the motion mean