LOGINEvelynWe stayed quiet for a while. Then Damien turned slightly toward me. “I was angry with you this afternoon.” “I know.” “I was angry because you went to that hospital. I was angry because you got hurt. And I was angry because I knew exactly why you went.” I lifted my head. “I'm sorry.” “You don't have to apologise for caring that he was alive.” “I still feel guilty.” “I know.” His hand moved through my hair. “You can't keep taking responsibility for every terrible thing that happens to him.” “I keep trying.” “I’m worried there’s something more to all these, Evie.” He looked at me seriously. “Do you love him?” I froze, unable to answer. The very question I had just pondered was now being thrown out at me. And I had absolutely no answer to give. I opened my mouth to say something but there were no words. “I know you still ha
EvelynKendall was later than she had promised, and by the time I heard the key turn in the lock, I had already walked from the sofa to the bathroom twice and back again. The nausea had been coming and going all night, never quite bad enough to make me sick but never leaving long enough for me to forget it. My cheek still hurt whenever I touched it, although the swelling had gone down slightly. Theo's visit was also still bothering me. He had arrived with all his certainty and left without giving me anything I could actually use, and I found myself thinking about several of his questions even though I had no energy to deal with them. Kendall finally pushed the door open with her hip and came in holding the brown bottle I had been waiting for. “You took time.” “I know. I'm sorry. The cabinet was a mess and I couldn't find the bottle immediately. Then one of the neighbours decided that was the perfect time to stop me in the hallway and talk about
KendallI leaned closer to the gap in the door and looked toward the bedroom again. “Then listen carefully. I am not telling you that Damien is innocent because I have never questioned him. There are things about his connection to Evelyn’s medical history that I still do not fully understand, and I have wondered about some of his choices myself. But there is a difference between asking questions and deciding that someone is guilty because the timing makes you uncomfortable.”Isaac was quiet.I continued before he could interrupt me.“Paul’s death did not start with Damien. Adrian and Paul had problems inside Parker Group long before Damien became part of Evelyn’s life. Adrian had reasons to want Paul out of his way, and there were people inside that company who stood to benefit from what happened. You cannot ignore all of that because Doris has suddenly developed a theory about the doctor.”“She told me Adrian also had a reason.”“She told you what she needed you to hear.”Isaac shif
KendallThe second sound came from Damien’s bedroom, quieter than the first but close enough to make me stop in the hallway with his keys still pressed into my palm. I stood there listening for several seconds, trying to work out whether I had actually heard something or whether my nerves were making ordinary sounds seem important. The flat was supposed to be empty.Damien had gone to the hospital, Raymond had gone home earlier, and Evelyn was waiting at our place for the medication I had promised to bring back. There was no reason for anyone else to be inside. I looked toward the front door, considered leaving, then turned back toward the bedroom because I had already come too far to pretend I had not heard anything.The flat looked normal at first. Damien had left a mug on the kitchen counter, there was a sweater hanging over one of the chairs, and the bathroom door was half open with the light still on. None of it helped me relax. I moved down the hall slowly, trying not to make un
KendallThe door shut behind Damien and the flat felt too quiet for quite some time.Evelyn sat on the sofa, staring at the place he had been standing. I put the kettle on because I needed my hands to do something ordinary.“He is going to be fine,” I said.She did not look up. “You hate him.”“I hate what he did. I hate his mother. I hate that waiting room. I still know the difference between wanting a man punished and wanting him dead on a table.” I came back with two mugs I had no faith she would drink. “Damien is good at this. That is the only useful fact in the room. Adrian is going to come through the night.”“And if he does not?”“Then we deal with that when it happens. Not now. Not while you sit here writing his funeral in your head.”She gave a small broken laugh.“Drink.”She held the mug and did not drink. I sat beside her and let the silence work.“I keep seeing Damien over him with a knife.”“I know. And I am still telling you the same thing. Tonight is a hospital problem
Damien Ellis stared at her. “That’s not going to change anything but put your son at more risk, Mrs. Parker.” She looked at him as though he had personally offended her. “I don't care how impressive you think he is. I don't trust him.” Dr. Okoye's voice became firmer. “Trust has nothing to do with this.” “It has everything to do with it.” She looked back at me. “You have every reason to want my son dead.” I felt the accusation hit, but I refused to answer it emotionally. “If I wanted him dead, Mrs. Parker, I would not be standing here arguing with you. I would step aside and let the delay do the work for me.” That silenced her for a moment. A nurse came through the doors. “Doctor?” I turned. “His pressure is dropping again.” Okoye swore quietly. “How much?” “Six systolic points in three minutes.”







