o leave. Ethan stumbled, and the folder he was clutching slipped fr

l, what have we here? 'Artificial Heart Replacement Evaluation

e, already pale, turned ashen as s

"You're pretending to have a heart condition to extor

ound her, but his eyes gleamed with triumph as he looke

pulsed erratically, a frantic bird trapped in his ribs. He couldn't breat

s, the disgust. The truth would only

his head, un

t up. The maintenance was constant, a drain on his meager earnings from food delivery and under-the-table construction gigs. The pain was a daily companion, a gnawing r

er voice like ice. "Don't

ands shaking, and walked away, t