SIMON THE ZILLIONAIRE FROM NOWHERE

265

The sterile smell of the hospital hung in the air, mixing with the tension that radiated between Eddie and Frank. They sat in the waiting room, the harsh fluorescent lights casting long shadows on the tiled floor. Eddie's fists were clenched, his eyes fixed on a point far in the distance, as if he could burn a hole through the wall with the sheer intensity of his anger. Frank sat a few seats away, his posture slouched and defeated, the weight of guilt heavy on his shoulders.

Eddie couldn't bring himself to look at Frank. The man who had once been his friend, his confidant, now seemed like nothing more than a traitor, a man who had ruined everything. The sound of Jennifer's labored breathing as she was rushed into surgery still echoed in his mind, a constant reminder of the horror he had witnessed. His heart ached with a mixture of grief and fury, the two emotions intertwining in a way that left him feeling hollow.

Minutes stretched into an eternity, the silence between them thick and