Chapter 9(Adrian P.O.V)

I burst into Nina’s ward, chest tight, breath burning.

There she was- lying so still it terrified me. Her face was pale, her breathing shallow, and a drip line ran down her arm.

I moved to her bedside immediately.

“Nina…” I whispered, touching her hand gently. She didn’t stir. “Oh God…”

“Adrian.”

I turned to see Dr. Stevens walking toward me.

“Yeah?” I stood up quickly.

“Let’s talk in my office.”

I followed him down the hallway and sat opposite him, heart pounding.

“Nina was rushed here by her teacher,” he began. “Adrian… she needs a new lung.”

“A new what?” I blinked, confused. “A lung?”

Dr. Stevens nodded sadly. “Her lung is failing. We have two options: a transplant… or we build a new one through lymph-mode reconstruction.”

I swallowed hard. “How much?”

“We’re already stabilizing her, but we need the money for the surgery fast. Very fast, Adrian.”

“I’ll get it,” I said, voice cracking. “I’ll find a way.”

“You’re strong,” he said gently, patting my shoulder. “But this time… I can’t help you.”

His words sliced deeper than a scalpel.

I returned to Nina’s ward. She hadn’t moved.

“She’s going to be fine,” the nurse whispered, trying to comfort me.

I nodded weakly and stepped out. But the moment I left the ward, my composure shattered.

Nina.

My loan.

My rent.

My job.

Everything was collapsing at once.

Without thinking, I headed to the one place that had been haunting my thoughts-Room 16.

The elevator carried me to the 13th floor. The guards straightened when they saw me. To my surprise, they stepped aside without protest.

I entered the passcodes and the door opened. I walked inside quietly. She was lying in the tube, motionless again.

“Asleep,” I muttered.

My thoughts drifted back to Nina.

“I’m breaking into pieces,” I said aloud. “How do I get money for Nina’s surgery? My student loan? Rent?” My voice cracked, and suddenly, the weight of it all crushed me and I broke down.

“What if I give you the money?”

I froze.

Slowly, I turned around.

Her eyes were open.

“What if I give you the money?” she repeated, voice steady,too steady.

Her blue eyes stared at me like ice.

I panicked and reached for my phone to call Dr. Kingston.

“If you make that call,” she said calmly, “your sister won’t survive. And I won’t give you a single penny.”

I froze, staring at her. My eyes fell on her arm. Blood dried, veins torn. A cut that looked fresh.

“What did you do to yourself?” I rushed to her and lifted her wounded hand carefully.

“Don’t talk,” she said coldly. “Just clean it.”

“Sure,” I whispered.

My mind raced. My sister’s life was on the line. This woman, Tori was offering me help. I didn’t have the luxury to refuse.

“Thanks,” she murmured when I finished dressing her wound.

I walked to the restroom to wash my hands, then stopped dead.

A body lay on the floor.

I hurried to it.

Judith.

Her face was ghost-white, her throat slashed, her skull wounded from a heavy blow.

“What happened…?” My heart hammered as I staggered back toward the bed.

“You killed her?” I whispered.

Tori blinked slowly, unfazed. “I defended myself. Problem?”

“You-” I swallowed. “You slit her throat-”

“I’ve been kept in this room for four years,” she snapped quietly, eyes sharp. “Drugged. Handled like a toy. Judith enjoyed treating me like a doll. She wanted me to die.”

She leaned forward slightly.

“I decided to end it first.”

Her voice was low and cold.

“I just have to be patient a little longer. Then I’ll get Kingston. And Zayn.” She grinned faintly. “Every monster has a death day.”

My blood ran cold.

“And you,” she added, “should start thinking of what to tell Kingston. You cannot tell him I’m awake. You can’t tell him Judith is dead either.”

She held the tube beside her wrist.

“In exchange… I’ll save your sister.”

She loosened her grip on the tube, meaning the drug would hit her system in two minutes.

“Deal or no deal?”

I met her eyes. Blue. Sharp. Terrifying.

“…Deal,” I whispered.

“Very well then,” she murmured, closing her eyes as the drug began to flood her system again.

I stared at her in horror.

Who was this girl?

And what storm was I walking into.