Chapter 268: Wounds That Don’t Heal After finishing everything that needed to be handled, Aron found himself standing in front of a hospital he had hoped to never return to, at least, not for the same reason. But here he was again. The building felt colder this time. He walked the familiar halls with a weight in his chest, eventually stepping into the room where Max lay unconscious. The boy looked pale, bruised, but stable. Doctors and nurses had already patched up his wounds and cleaned the blood from his skin. He looked better, but still far too broken for someone his age. The staff had reassured Aron earlier. They said Max was just sleeping. His vitals were stable, there was no internal damage, and he wasn’t in any immediate danger. But from what they could tell, the kid had pushed himself hard, far beyond his limits. He must’ve been running on sheer willpower until his body finally gave out. Aron stood silently for a moment, staring at the sleeping figure. “I haven’t done a great job protecting you lately, have I?” he said softly, more to himself than to Max. He pulled a chair over and sat down beside the bed, leaning forward, elbows on his knees. “I wonder what your parents would’ve said,” he added, voice low. “If they knew I was letting you take on this much… letting you get involved in so many dangerous things. But with the way things are, with how much is happening all around us… I don’t know what other choice I’ve had.” His voice trailed off as the silence returned. Then, a knock came at the door. It slid open a second later, and Aron didn’t even need to look, he already knew who it was. He’d been informed in advance. Joe and Steven stepped inside the room, both carrying gifts, Joe with a box of chocolates, Steven holding a bouquet of flowers. The two of them had matching bruises, scrapes, and taped-up bandages on their arms and shoulders, the result of the fight they’d all been through. “The doctor said we’re clear to go,” Joe said, walking in casually. “Doesn’t look like we’ve got any serious wounds or concussions.” Aron nodded, glancing toward them. “What about the boss?” Steven asked, concern flickering in his eyes. “His condition is good,” Aron replied. “Just exhausted. He pushed himself too far.” He looked down at Max again, then back up at them with a small nod. “I want to thank you both, for what you did back there. If you hadn’t been there… if I had tried to handle the situation on my own…” He paused. “I don’t think I would’ve been able to get him out.” There was a heaviness in the air. Gratitude, guilt, and relief all tangled together. None of them said it, but they all felt it. This fight wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. But at least, for now, they had Max back. “Your tone,” Steven said, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall. “You’re making it sound like you failed.” He glanced toward Max, then back at Aron. “But he’s alive. He’s here. And like you said, that was a tough situation.” Steven’s voice softened. “We all had a feeling something like this might happen eventually. Max kept getting involved in more and more dangerous stuff… and honestly, I think we all owe him a lot.” The room fell into a thoughtful silence. Their eyes drifted back to Max, who was still lying unconscious in the hospital bed, his chest rising and falling in slow, even breaths. None of them said it aloud, but they were all thinking the same thing. How did one person change so many lives… so quickly? Aron included. Since the last time they had walked out of this hospital together, everything had changed. Their roles, their bonds, their understanding of who Max really was. “What was even going on back there?” Steven finally said, breaking the silence. “An illegal fighting ring? And even the staff were ready to throw down like trained brawlers. I can’t imagine a high schooler being involved in something that serious. Just… what the hell was all of that?” Joe, who had been unusually quiet, shifted on his feet. He’d clearly been thinking about something, and now he finally spoke. “Is it because of who Max is?” Joe asked. “Because he’s from the Stern family?” Aron’s head snapped toward him. His eyes widened in disbelief. “You… know?” he asked, voice low. “Did Max tell you?” Joe scratched the side of his face, a sheepish look spreading across his features. “Not exactly,” he admitted. “I kind of figured it out.” He exchanged a glance with Steven before continuing. “But we kept it to ourselves. I didn’t even tell Max we knew. I figured… there had to be a reason he hadn’t said anything.” Joe looked down at the floor for a second, then back up. “I mean, if he really is from that family, it made no sense why he let everything happen to him at school. Why he didn’t stop it. Why he didn’t pull rank or whatever. So I just figured… he’d tell us when he was ready.” Aron let out a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. His eyes lingered on Max again. “The truth is,” Aron finally said, his voice quiet, “I don’t really know the full story myself.” Steven and Joe looked at him in surprise, but Aron didn’t stop. “I know I’m supposed to always be by Max’s side, to protect him no matter what, but even I don’t understand everything that’s happening.” He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped. “The situation with Max’s family is… complicated. More than either of you can probably imagine. A lot of what he’s going through now is most likely tied to them, his other family members. But not because of anything he did.” Joe and Steven stayed silent. The tension in the room was heavy again, but this time it wasn’t fear, it was confusion. Curiosity. “I saw Chad there,” Aron added. “In that place. I don’t know why Max was involved or how he got dragged into that mess, but now that we’ve got Chad, maybe we can finally start getting some real answers.” There was so much more Steven and Joe wanted to ask. Why was Dud there too? Was it connected to the fight club? Was this all tied to Dipter’s group or something else entirely? The threads were tangled, and no one but Max seemed to have the full picture. But right now, he was unconscious. And the rest of them were left guessing in the dark. Suddenly, Aron’s phone buzzed. He glanced down at the screen, and froze. His body tensed instantly. He didn’t hesitate. He swiped to answer the call and brought the phone to his ear. The words came fast. Urgent. His eyes widened. “It’s the girl…” he said, standing up quickly, his chair scraping back behind him. “Someone took the girl!”