Chapter 114

Ramon POV

But it had been possible. It had been more than possible—it had been easy for them. They’d waited until Lake and Troy were vulnerable, had struck fast and hard, and then disappeared before anyone could stop them.

The double doors to the surgical wing swung open, and Rhodes emerged, still in his scrubs, a surgical mask hanging around his neck. He looked exhausted, his face drawn and pale, but there was something in his expression that made my heart rate spike.

“Rhodes?” I said, crossing to him in three long strides. “How is he? How’s Troy?”

“Alive,” Rhodes said, and the single word carried so much weight. “The surgery went well. The knife missed any major organs—barely—but there was significant blood loss. We had to give him a transfusion. But he’s stable now, and the baby’s heartbeat is strong.”

The collective exhale from everyone in the waiting room was audible. Sophia stopped crying. Julian lifted his head from Elena’s shoulder. Even