Chapter 174

Kelly POV

The hospital room was quiet except for the steady beeping of the monitor beside Anderson’s bed. The air smelled sterile, cold, almost suffocating.

I stood by the door, arms crossed, watching him. He looked thinner than I remembered, paler too. His once-sharp features were dulled with exhaustion, and his usually piercing blue eyes seemed… tired.

Anderson looked at me like he didn’t quite believe I was real. Like if he blinked, I would disappear.

“You came,” he rasped.

I swallowed, keeping my expression neutral. “You asked me to.”

A humorless chuckle left his lips. “Yeah,” he murmured. “I did.”

Silence stretched between us. He shifted in the bed, wincing slightly, then ran a trembling hand through his thinning hair.

“I don’t know where to start,” he admitted.

I didn’t help him.

He exhaled heavily. “I hurt you.” His voice was quieter now. “I ruined you. And for what? Ego? Power? I thought I was untouchable. Th