Chapter 57

Luca’s jaw dropped so hard it looked like it might unhinge. Sloane’s tone had been casual, frustrated, almost playful, yet the words had landed like a grenade in the quiet room. “Dominic, they’re all threatening me,” she’d said, as if complaining to a family member. For a beat the ICU froze. Nick, the dean, Luca, every face tightened into the same question: Does she know him? Especially Jeremy. How intimate was Sloane with these people? Dominic’s black eyes lifted slowly. For a second he watched Sloane like a man cataloguing a rare and dangerous thing. Then, quiet and cold, he said, “They will be punished.” Outside, the tension snapped. Someone had sourced a fire hammer, probably from a maintenance cart, and was barreling toward the door like a man possessed. “Out of the way! Move!” he roared. “I’m breaking this door! I’ll kill Sloane if I have to!” People scattered. The would‑be batterer reared back. The hammer came down and the sprinklers answered. Water detonated from the ceiling in