Chapter 199: Moments of Fragility

The sterile hallway outside the operating room buzzed with a tense, almost suffocating silence. The muted sounds of the hospital machinery and hushed conversations of passing nurses felt distant, almost surreal. Mariana stood quietly, observing Drew's distraught parents. His mother, a petite woman with greying hair and a haunted expression, clutched a crumpled tissue, her eyes red and swollen from hours of crying. "This industry," she whispered to her husband, her voice breaking. "I should never have let him enter it. It's too dangerous, too ruthless." Mariana's heart ached at the sight. She stepped forward, her movements tentative, and handed Drew's mother a fresh tissue. "Here," she said softly, her voice gentle. "He's strong. He'll pull through this." Drew's mother looked up, her eyes filled with a mix of gratitude and despair. She accepted the tissue, her hands trembling. "Thank you," she murmured, barely audible. "You must be one of Drew's friends?" Before Mariana could respon