Her heart stuttered. How much had he seen? Did he know she had watched?
"I… I couldn't sleep," she said, fumbling. "I just needed a glass of water." Her hands trembled slightly at her sides.
Santiago's gaze softened by the smallest degree, but the weight behind it remained. "You're not well enough to wander," he said quietly. "You just left the hospital. Do you want to risk another incident?"
She swallowed hard, realizing no simple lie would satisfy him. The truth hung unspoken and dangerous between them.
He didn't press further. He didn't need to. His presence alone made it clear he knew more than he was saying, and that he controlled far more than she could see.
"Go back to bed," he ordered.
He waited, watching her carefully, before stepping aside to let her pass.
Daniella moved quickly and slipped back into her room. She climbed into bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin, heart still racing. Her mind spun, not only from fear, but from a new, sharper understanding.
