Chapter 46 – Proof of Life

Dr. Cole

The text came in after midnight.

Short. Blunt. And about damn time.

Tommy:

Fine. I’ll meet with you.

One shot to tell your side.

Come correct—bring evidence.

I stared at it for a long time before replying.

Me:

I’ll be ready. Just tell me when and where.

No answer. But I didn’t need one. The fact that he’d even texted was a miracle after years of silence.

It wasn’t forgiveness. But it was a start.

I barely slept. Every hour of the night played out behind my eyes — fifteen years of memories stitched into something I’d never stopped trying to fix.

By morning, I was at the clinic early. The sky was still the color of wet steel, and the halls were silent except for the low hum of the air vents. Christine had the afternoon schedule covered, so my patient load was light. I told her I’d be stepping out later for a “personal matter,” and she didn’t ask questions. She’s been here long enough to know when not to.

I shut my office door, sat down at my desk, and pulled up a file that hadn