The rehabilitation clinic room was immersed in an absolute calm that contrasted with the gelid landscape outside. Through the north coast's large picture window, the pine forest swayed beneath a dark sky, but inside, the crackle of the electric fireplace and the indirect lighting created a warm refuge. There were no longer judges, cameras, or institutional pressures; the suffocating hum of the world circuit had dissipated, leaving in its place a space where time seemed to pass at a human pace.
Bek rested on the living room's spacious sofa, his right leg supported by modular cushions. The cryotherapy system had finally been removed, replaced by an elastic bandage that kept the joint protected. The gold medal rested on the coffee table, but the brunette did not even look at it. His entire attention was fixed on Jake's movements, who was walking barefoot across the room after leaving a pair of tea cups on the kitchen counter.
