Soraya's POV

“Please don’t worry, ma’am,” the nurse said quickly. “It’s not something serious. Just a minor surgery will do. He’ll recover.”

I swallowed hard, looking at him again.

Mrs. Opaline finally nodded slowly, her shoulders slumping as though she had been holding in all her fear. The nurse gave her a small bow of understanding before stepping out.

It wasn’t long before she returned, this time with two other staff. They moved, preparing Darius. I froze when I saw the syringe, but then realized they were sedating him. His body relaxed almost immediately, his breathing softening until he fell into a heavy sleep.

Carefully, they lifted him onto a...