Chapter 85

The moment Zoe stepped into the room, she froze. Thomas’s face was ashen, his eyes blazing with an anger she had never witnessed. Every encounter she had witnessed between him and Cassandra had been suffused with tenderness—gentle smiles, soft touches, attentive concern. And yet here he stood, mouth set in a brutal line, fists clenched at his sides, as though the world had just betrayed him beyond redemption. A wave of unease washed over Zoe: she had never seen Thomas this furious, and she wasn’t sure how to react.

Before those tense seconds could stretch any longer, the door swung open. Dr. Colinrina strode inside, her white coat crisp and reassuring. Relief flooded through Zoe—at least someone more experienced than she was could defuse this storm. Thomas’s entire posture shifted the moment he saw her. The rage in his eyes flickered, though it did not disappear.

“Doc…” he began, his voice hoarse.

Dr. Colinrina offered him a calm, encouraging smile, as though she c