Chapter 3

The officer said, "Amber has been dead for nine days."

I froze. By the time I came back to my senses, the police had already left.

My back was drenched in cold sweat. In hindsight, Amber's behavior that night didn't seem like that of a living person at all.

For the rest of the day, I felt distracted and uneasy. Just as I was wrapping up my shift, Amber came looking for me again.

"Hello, Dr. Cantrell," she said with a smile. "I'd like to have a check-up."

I stared at her, my palms damp with sweat.

There had to be a connection between her and Kaylee—perhaps they knew one another.

To get to the truth, I took her blood pressure and heart rate.

Strangely, what the police had said didn't seem to be true. Amber appeared completely healthy, with no abnormalities in her vitals.

"I don't know what your connection to Kaylee is, but she's a good person," I said. "I hope you won't hurt her."

My words seemed to land heavily on Amber, and she stared at me in silence for a long moment.

Finally, she gave a faint smile. "Things aren't always what they seem. We'll meet again, Dr. Cantrell."

With that, she walked away. Only then did I notice the goosebumps covering my skin.

As I was packing up to go home, I spotted an empty syringe on the floor. The wear on the needle made it obvious it had been used before.

Still, the strange green liquid inside didn't match anything stocked in the emergency department.

The moment I recognized the label on the syringe, every hair on my body stood on end. A cold wave surged from my feet to the top of my head.

NECH nerve-blocking agent—this was a powerful drug with serious side effects, used specifically for treating neuropathic pain.

Only one possibility remained—Amber was the one who had left it there.

…

The police officers came to see me.

"Dr. Cantrell, we've reviewed the surveillance footage from the night you met Amber," the young officer said with a confused look. "It shows you were alone in your office the entire time. You never moved."

"That's impossible."

My eyes widened. I quickly brought out Amber's medical record from Halloween night, along with the used syringe.

"After that night, Amber came to see me again. Oddly enough, I had deliberately checked her pulse and blood pressure, and everything was normal. But she did leave this drug behind."

The officer's expression tightened as he picked up the empty syringe. "What drug is this?"

"NECH nerve-blocking agent. It's a medication used to treat neuropathic pain."

The young officer watched me for a long moment. Finally, he said, "Thank you for your cooperation, Dr. Cantrell. We'll need to take this evidence back for further investigation. Is that alright?"

I quickly nodded. "Of course."

I made my way home after leaving the hospital. As I opened the door, the smell of alcohol hit me. Neither Kaylee nor I drank, so where could it be coming from?

Seeing the high heels at the entrance, I knew Kaylee was in the bedroom. From the day things suddenly became strained between us, she hadn't spoken to me once.

It felt as if we were no more than silent roommates, sharing a house while living completely separate lives.

But while I was washing up in the bathroom, Kaylee suddenly appeared behind me. Her arms slid around my waist, pulling me close.

"Beau, I'm so sorry about that day," she said softly. "Things at work have been rough recently, and it had affected my mood. It's all resolved now. I hope you're not still mad at me."

My heart skipped a beat. Whenever she uttered those words, it meant our silent standoff had come to an end.

After drying my hands, I reached down and grasped her hands at my waist.