Chapter 263: Chapter 263

Chapter 263

It was well past midnight in the low-security ward of Dr. Anny Wales’ facility, and the long medical corridors had settled into a quiet, routine stillness. Outside the thick glass windows, a steady downpour hit the structure, masking the minor sounds from within the private recovery rooms. In his locked quarters, Ethan lay completely motionless under the thin cotton blanket, staring up at the white ceiling tile directly above his head.

He kept his breathing slow, deep, and rhythmic, maintaining the precise pattern of a man lost in a heavy, drug-induced sleep. Dr. Liu and Dr. Anny Wales had signed off on his transfer paperwork hours ago, completely convinced that the powerful sedative he was supposed to swallow had knocked him out for the night. They had no idea the white pill was long gone, crushed to powder and wiped away, or that his mind was sharper and more focused than it had been in months.

He listened intently to the subtle shift in sounds down the hall, tracking the footsteps of the floor orderlies as they finished their midnight rounds. When the heavy wooden door at the end of the corridor clicked shut, signaling that the primary night shift guard had stepped away to the staff breakroom for his scheduled coffee break, Ethan moved.

He threw the blanket aside and sat up on the edge of the mattress, suppressing a sharp gasp as his unhealed ribs protested the sudden motion. Reaching into the small seam of his waistband, he pulled out a thin, sharp strip of metal he had quietly pried off his bed frame hours earlier while pretending to rest.

Ethan dropped to his knees in front of the door, ignoring the dull ache radiating through his torso. He jammed the metal piece into the keyhole mechanism, carefully applying pressure with his thumb until he felt the internal tumbler give way.

With a faint, metallic click, the lock released. Ethan turned the handle slowly, opening the door just enough to peek through the crack. The hallway was empty, illuminated only by the overhead safety lights. He slipped out into the corridor, keeping his back pressed against the wall as he moved quickly toward the staff locker room near the secondary exit.

He slipped through the unlocked door of the staff room and immediately scanned the area. Spotting an unmonitored employee bench, he grabbed a dark, hooded rain jacket hanging from a wall hook, pulling it over his hospital gown to cover the bright white fabric.

He then reached into an open administrative drawer, grabbing a master keycard left behind by the off-duty janitorial supervisor. With the keycard tucked securely into his pocket, he headed straight for the building's emergency exit stairwell, completely avoiding the main reception desk where two junior nurses were filing patient logs.

The stairwell door swung open under the master keycard's authority, and Ethan took the steps two at a time, wincing every time his weight hit his left side. He reached the ground level and pushed open the heavy steel door leading out into the concrete parking structure. Cold rain hit his face immediately, washing away the lingering smell of rubbing alcohol and medical antiseptics from his skin.

Keeping his head down under his hood, he dodged the sweeping angles of the security cameras mounted along the ceiling beams, staying inside the deep shadows cast by the parked vehicles. He pressed himself against the concrete pillars, moving systematically from car to car until he reached the low perimeter wall at the edge of the facility grounds.

He threw his leg over the wet stone barrier and dropped down to the muddy embankment on the other side, landing hard on his feet. A sharp, burning pain shot directly through his chest from his fractured ribs, making him stumble into the wet grass.

He clutched his side tightly, gritting his teeth to keep from making a sound as warm blood began to seep through his bandaged torso, staining the inner lining of his jacket. He didn't care about the pain. He straightened his back, pulled his hood lower over his eyes, and began walking rapidly down the dark, rainy access road leading toward the city center.

Monterey was completely asleep, the streetlights reflecting off the wet pavement as Ethan navigated the back roads on foot, avoiding any passing patrol cars that might flag a lone man walking in the rain after midnight. His body was completely exhausted, his breath coming in ragged gasps, but his mind kept pushing him forward through the storm.

He had no money, no phone, no car, and no standing left in the city. The police were likely already searching for him after discovering his empty room, and his father’s security guards would be monitoring every family property in the district. He had nowhere left to turn, no safe house, and no allies left in his old life.

He needed help, and there was only one person in Monterey who cared about Isabelle as much as he did: Ariana. She was the only one who knew the full truth about Isabelle's past, the only one who had tried to protect her when everything fell apart at the university, and the only person who wouldn't immediately hand him over to his father or the authorities. If anyone had heard from Isabelle or knew where Sam had taken her, it was Ariana.

Ethan paused under the awning of a closed storefront, leaning his shoulder against the brick wall to catch his breath as he looked down the long, empty street leading toward Ariana's neighborhood. His heart pounded against his sore chest as he thought about walking up to her front door.

But as he wiped the rain from his eyes, a harsh realization stopped him dead in his tracks. Going to Ariana’s house right now was a massive mistake. Sam Keystone wasn't stupid; he knew Ariana was Isabelle’s closest family which meant her house was almost certainly being watched by Sam's private security team or the local police waiting for him to make a move. Stepping onto her porch would get him captured instantly, ending his only chance to save Isabelle before he even got out of Monterey.