"She’s asleep."

"Is she okay?" Amira asked quickly, genuine worry slipping through her panic. "I heard something happened at the hospital." Julian glanced toward Amara, sleeping weakly on the bed.

"She’s fine." The answer was short. Protective. Amira closed her eyes briefly in relief before the reality of her own situation crashed back over her. "Julian..." Her voice cracked this time. "I’m in trouble."

That finally caught his full attention. "What happened?" Amira let out a shaky breath. "The police think I killed her." Silence. Even Julian’s expression changed slightly at the words.

"They have footage of us arguing that night," she continued quickly. "I swear I didn’t kill her, Julian. I didn’t." For the first time in a very long time, Amira sounded genuinely terrified.

Not manipulative. Not dramatic. Terrified. The pain in her voice was impossible to miss. Julian leaned back slightly in the chair beside Amara’s bed, his gaze turning thoughtful. Outside the room, Seb was still arguing quietly with security.

Inside the room, another disaster had just landed directly in Julian’s hands. And somehow. Everything around Amara kept becoming more dangerous by the hour. "Please speak to Amara for me."

Amira’s voice trembled badly now, every word sounding more desperate than the last. "I know I’ve done terrible things to her," she admitted through tears. "I know that. But I never killed our mother. Never." Her breathing shook over the phone. "The police came to my house this morning and took me in. They keep asking the same questions over and over and twisting everything I say."

Julian stayed quiet, listening. In the background, he could hear the faint sounds of the station around her. Officers talking. Phones ringing. Metal chairs scraping against the floor. Amira sounded terrified.

"I asked for my lawyer," she continued weakly, "but it feels like they already decided I’m guilty." A small sob escaped her. "Julian... you have to believe me. I didn’t do it." Julian leaned back slightly in the chair beside Amara’s bed.

His gaze drifted toward Amara sleeping peacefully under the dim hospital lights. He already knew Amira probably didn’t do it. For all her flaws, and God knew there were many, murder didn’t feel like her.

Manipulative? Yes. Cruel? Absolutely. Selfish? Without question. But this? No. Still... Amira brought chaos wherever she went.

And Julian had no intention of involving himself in her problems unless Amara personally asked him to. Especially not today. Not while Amara was lying weak and exhausted beside him after nearly collapsing.

"Amara can’t come to the phone right now," Julian finally said calmly. "I’ll let her know you called."

"Please, Julian," Amira begged immediately. "You’re a lawyer. You can help me." Her voice cracked harder. "Amara is angry with me right now, I know that, but please—" Julian cut her off smoothly.

"Well, like you said... Amara is angry at you." His tone remained coldly controlled. "And she’s my wife, so technically that makes me angry at you too." Amira fell silent on the other end. Julian rubbed his forehead tiredly before continuing.

"So here’s one piece of advice," he said. "Do not say another word to the police without a lawyer present." Amira sniffed quietly.

"I’ll call your stupid husband," Julian added dryly. "And tell him to get his ass down to the station with a very good lawyer." His voice turned serious. "Because you’re going to need one."

"That’s all I can do for you."

"Julian..." Amira whispered shakily. "I don’t want Leo’s help." That made him pause slightly.

"If I did," she continued softly, "I would’ve called him first." Her breathing became uneven again. "He’s hiding things from me, and I can’t trust him anymore." Julian’s expression darkened thoughtfully.

Interesting. Very interesting. But not his problem. Not today. "Well," he said after a moment, "sorry about that. He’s all you’ve got." "Julian, please.."

"I have to go." And with that, Julian ended the call. The room fell silent again. For a few seconds, he simply sat there staring at the dark phone screen in his hand. Then slowly, he placed the phone back down beside Amara’s bed.

Outside the hospital room, Seb’s voice could still occasionally be heard arguing with security. Inside the room, Amara shifted slightly in her sleep, her face tightening briefly as if even unconsciousness couldn’t fully free her from the stress surrounding her life.

Julian immediately leaned forward. His hand gently brushed against her hair. "I’m here," he whispered softly, even though she couldn’t hear him.

And somewhere across the city. Amira sat alone in a police station, "Julian, please...please don’t hang up—" But the line had already gone dead. Amira slowly lowered the phone from her ear. For a moment, she simply stared at the dark screen, her vision blurring with tears she refused to let fall.

The interrogation room suddenly felt colder than before. Smaller too. The harsh white light above her buzzed faintly while the officer sitting across from her quietly studied her expression.

Amira looked away quickly before he could see how close she was to breaking down. But it was too late. He had already seen it.

"Do you want to make another call?" the officer asked after a moment. His tone was surprisingly calm now. Not aggressive. Not accusing. Just patient. Amira swallowed hard and straightened slightly in the chair.

"I’m not saying anything else unless my lawyer gets here." The officer almost smiled at that. "Okay."

That confused her. He leaned back casually. "Good choice." Amira frowned slightly. Then she realized something. He hadn’t actually asked her a question.

Not this time. The officer opened a small file on the table before speaking again. "You hungry?" Amira blinked.

"What?"

"You heard me." He nodded toward the side table near the wall. "This is probably going to take a very, very long time." His eyes briefly scanned her tired face. "And honestly, you look hungry." Despite herself, Amira almost laughed weakly at that.

The officer stood and walked toward the side table. "You don’t need a lawyer to eat," he added casually. Only then did Amira notice the two steaming containers sitting there. Instant noodles. The smell hit her immediately.