The air inside Ella's mansion was thick with tension, the kind that wrapped around your lungs and made it hard to breathe. As Dickson stepped through the doorway, the first thing he saw was chaos—not the noisy, violent kind, but the dreadful, helpless kind. Liam lay shirtless on the couch, his body convulsing uncontrollably. Bandages were wrapped tightly around his lower abdomen, just above his waist, but they were soaked through with dark, fresh blood. His skin was pale, glistening with sweat, and his eyes were open wide, staring blankly ahead, unfocused, the whites clearly visible. Every muscle in his body twitched as though he were being electrocuted from the inside out.
Ann and Ella were crouched beside him, both trying desperately to hold him down. His movements were erratic, powerful, and completely involuntary, forcing them to use all their strength just to keep him from falling off the couch or injuring himself further.
