Mia hadn't planned on going near the Old Wing again.
But curiosity had a way of following her.
She stood near the supply desk, pretending to organize files, when she noticed a delivery trolley being pushed down the corridor—toward the Old Wing.
That never happened.
The box labels were turned inward, the staff member unusually silent.
Her fingers tightened around the folder she was holding.
"Andrew," she murmured when she spotted him near the nurse station. "Do deliveries usually go that way?"
He followed her gaze. His expression shifted—just slightly.
"No," he said. "They don't."
That was all it took.
They didn't say anything else.
They just… walked.
Side by side.
Not sneaking.
Not rushing.
Just two people pretending they belonged there.
The Old Wing door was half open.
"That's new," Mia whispered.
Andrew hesitated, then pushed it gently.
The air inside felt different. Warmer. And underneath the hospital's sterile scent was something unfamiliar—faintly sweet.
Mia frowned. "Do you smell that?"
"Yeah," Andrew said quietly. "That's not disinfectant."
They didn't go far. Just enough to peek into a side room marked STORAGE.
Shelves lined the walls.
Too neat. Too organized.
Mia picked up a small box. No medical label. Just a code and a logo she didn't recognize.
She looked at Andrew. "This doesn't look like hospital supply packaging."
He picked up another. "Neither does this."
They exchanged a glance—one that held a hundred unspoken questions.
Mia suddenly felt very aware of how close they were standing.
Too close for comfort.
Or maybe… closer than she realized she liked.
Andrew stepped slightly in front of her, instinctively blocking her view of the corridor.
"We shouldn't touch anything," he said softly. "Not yet."
She nodded, surprised by the calm in his voice—and how safe it made her feel.
As they turned to leave, Mia noticed a clipboard hanging crookedly on the wall.
She didn't read it fully.
Just the heading.
PROJECT AURELIA
No explanation.
No department name.
Just a word that didn't belong.
Back in the main corridor, the noise of the hospital rushed back—voices, footsteps, life continuing like nothing was wrong.
Mia let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.
"Andrew," she said, "tell me I'm overthinking this."
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at her—not like a coworker, not like someone brushing her off—but like an equal.
"I questioned things once," he said quietly. "And I was told to stop interfering."
Her heart sank. "Because of this?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "But whatever this is… it doesn't want attention."
They stood there for a moment.
Then Mia surprised herself by saying, "I'm glad I wasn't alone."
Andrew met her eyes. "Me too."
It wasn't a confession.
It wasn't dramatic.
Just two people realizing they trusted each other.
Down the hall, a staff member locked the Old Wing door.
The sound echoed.
And for the first time, Mia felt it clearly
—
They hadn't uncovered the truth.
But they had crossed the line where walking away was no longer possible.
*******
Guess I gave you guys a bonus chapter