The hospital corridors were a stark contrast to the warm, amber glow of the restaurant. Here, the air was heavy with the scent of ozone, floor wax, and the unspoken weight of grief. The squeak of Alicia's heels on the polished linoleum sounded like frantic heartbeats.
Arthur stayed in the shadows, his long coat billowing slightly as he moved with the silence of a predator. He watched her collapse against a vending machine, her breath coming in jagged, shallow gasps. She looked so small, so broken, a stark departure from the composed architect he had seen earlier.
"Doctor! Please, tell me he's okay," Alicia's voice cracked, echoing through the empty hall.
Arthur moved closer, lingering behind a heavy oak door that stood slightly ajar. Through the glass slit, he saw a middle-aged doctor placing a comforting hand on Alicia's shoulder.
"The fever has broken, Alicia, but the white blood cell count is... it's not what we hoped for," the doctor sighed, his voice weary. "Léo is a fighter, but leukemia is a thief. We need a bone marrow match, and we need it soon. Without your parents here to test..."
"I know," Alicia interrupted, a fresh wave of tears cascading down her cheeks. "I'm all he has left. Ever since the accident... ever since the sky fell..."
Arthur's heart hammered against his ribs. The accident. The sky fell. He remembered the news reports from years ago—the mid-air explosion over the coast. A tragedy that had dominated the headlines. To think that this woman, who carried herself with such grace, was the survivor of that nightmare.
He watched her enter a room labeled Pediatrics. Through the window, he saw a small boy, no older than six, pale and frail amidst a mountain of white pillows. Alicia sat by his side, immediately wiping her tears and putting on a brave, trembling smile. She took the boy's tiny hand and kissed his knuckles, whispering stories of beaches and sunsets.
Arthur leaned his head against the cold wall. He felt a phantom pain in his side, where his kidney had been stolen by the very gender he had learned to fear. He had spent years building walls of gold and steel to keep women away, convinced they were all predators.
But as he watched Alicia cradle her dying brother, the walls didn't just crack. They began to crumble. This wasn't a play for money. This was a soul being flayed alive by love.
She is the strongest person I have ever seen, he thought, his jaw tightening. And she is completely alone.
He turned away, not wanting to intrude further on her sanctity of pain, but his mind was already racing. He had resources. He had power. For the first time in his life, Arthur Carter didn't want to use his influence to crush a rival. He wanted to use it to save a child's smile.