[Evelina's POV—Vinter Mansion—Before Dawn]
The doctor arrived without a name.
Rowan brought him through the private corridor, hands already gloved, eyes already resigned. A man who knew how to keep secrets because secrets kept him alive. He didn't ask questions. He didn't look at faces longer than necessary. He worked.
Theo didn't wake when the needles slid in or when the stitches bit. He only shifted once—subtle, instinctive—angling his body toward Alina even in sleep, like his bones had memorized where danger lived.
That night… I didn't push Theo away.
I couldn't.
The doctor worked in silence—quick hands, practiced motions. He treated Alina first, gentle where he could afford to be gentle, checking for glass cuts, bruises, and shock. Then Theo. Stitches. Pressure. Medication slid into veins that had carried too much blood tonight.
Theo never woke.
