#Chapter 30: Schemes and more Schemes

Sophia's POV The soft click of my heels against the linoleum was muffled as I stepped into the shadows of the adjacent hallway, positioning myself just out of sight of Alexander’s hospital office. The air was almost too clean, and it made me wrinkle my nose in disdain. Hospitals always had that unpleasant, clinical scent—antiseptic mixed with desperation. I leaned against the cool wall, arms crossed, and tilted my head slightly to catch the voices drifting through the partially open door. Lauren’s voice reached me first, strained and demanding. “Why did you lock me in there?” Her words held that ridiculous air of righteousness she always carried, like she was the moral compass of the entire universe. I stifled a laugh, my lips curling into a smirk. Poor, sweet Lauren. Always so predictable, so naïve. She had no idea how easily her life could be unraveled. The nurse I’d enlisted against her knowledge had done her part, though poorly, it seemed. Now, the woman was in there,