جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 94

A month had passed since I moved into Frank's house. The guest house was still "being repaired." Every time I asked about it, Frank had an excuse—the roofer was delayed, the materials hadn't arrived, the leak was worse than expected. I had stopped asking.Life had settled into a strange rhythm. Frank went to work during the day. I stayed home with the twins, watched by the nanny he had hired. He was attentive, kind, always checking on me. But he never tried to kiss me again. He kept his distance, just as he had promised.Nelly visited often. She thought the arrangement was good for me. "You're eating better," she said. "You're sleeping more. This was the right decision."I wasn't sure I agreed. But I didn't have the energy to argue.Today, Frank had insisted we go to the mall. "You need to get out," he said. "Fresh air. Something other than these four walls." He had helped me get the twins ready—Desmond and little Desirae, now chubby and alert, their eyes the same shade of honey-brown

MICHAEL POVDarkness.Then light.Then pain—a dull, throbbing ache that seemed to fill every corner of his skull.Michael opened his eyes. The ceiling above him was white, cracked in one corner, with a fluorescent light that buzzed softly. He blinked, trying to focus. The room smelled of antiseptic and something else—flowers, maybe. His mouth was dry. His limbs felt heavy.Where am I?He tried to sit up, but his body refused to cooperate. A soft voice came from his left."Hey, hey. Easy. Don't move too fast."He turned his head. A woman sat beside his bed—young, maybe late twenties, with kind eyes and dark hair pulled into a bun. She was wearing a simple blouse and trousers, and she looked tired, as if she hadn't slept in days."Where... where am I?" His voice came out rough, barely a whisper."You're in the hospital. You've been unconscious for a long time." She leaned forward, concern etched on her face. "I'm going to call the doctor. Just stay still."She pressed a button beside th