Chapter 364

Cristo stopped walking when he realized the sound of Riyana’s footsteps was no longer behind him. At first, it did not alarm him. She often walked slower than him. Sometimes she stopped suddenly when her thoughts pulled her somewhere else. Sometimes she changed her direction without telling him. It had happened before. He turned around, scanning the corridor behind him. People moved around, faces unfamiliar, busy with their own worries. Riyana’s slim figure, her light-colored dress, her calm but tense walk, none of it was there. “Mrs. Grey?” he called softly, not wanting to draw attention. No answer. For a moment, he told himself not to overthink it. Maybe she had gone back to her stepfather’s ward. She worried about him constantly. Maybe she remembered something and turned around without saying anything. She did that too. Cristo turned back and walked quickly toward the ward. With every step, an uneasy feeling started to crawl into his chest. When he reached the ward, his eyes searche