"What do you mean he's drawing his last breath? Didn't you say..."
Raya's words dissolved into a choked panic before they could fully form. Her voice cracked, the rest of the sentence swallowed by the overwhelming wave of fear crashing through her.
Her heart slammed violently against her ribs, each beat loud and painful, as if trying to break free from her chest. The world narrowed to a single, terrifying thought:
"Adrian might be dying right now."
Before anyone could stop her, before Derek or Grigor could utter another word, she turned and ran.
"Raya…!" someone called sharply behind her, but the voice barely registered. It was drowned out by the deafening roar of her own heartbeat thundering in her ears.
