Todos los capítulos de The Scandal In Room 214: Capítulo 61 - Capítulo 70

Candace POVWaiting was worse than I expected. There was nothing to do, nothing I could fix, and nothing I could say that would change what was happening behind those doors, so I sat beside my mother and waited.The clock on the wall seemed to move slower every time I looked at it but it was already past eight pm. My phone was still in my hand, even though I had stopped calling anyone. I kept staring at the screen, waiting for a message I didn’t know I was expecting.Every time the doors to the emergency department opened, my head lifted. Every time a doctor walked past, I watched them. Every time a nurse came toward us, my heart jumped, and every time they kept walking, I felt stupid for hoping.“How long has it been?” I asked.My mother looked at the clock. “About two more hours.”Two hours. It felt like much longer.“Have they said anything?”“Not yet.”I nodded. A few minutes passed before I asked again.“Mom?”She looked at me. “Do you think we should ask someone?”“We already di

Candace POVThe days after my father’s death didn’t feel real. Everything happened too quickly. One minute, we were sitting in a hospital waiting room, hoping someone would come out with good news. Then we were making funeral arrangements.People started calling. Relatives I hadn’t spoken to in years suddenly had my mother’s number. People I barely remembered began sending messages, asking how I was doing and telling me they were sorry.I didn’t know what to say to any of them. “Thank you” felt wrong, and “I’m fine” was a lie, so most of the time, I said nothing.The funeral home smelled like flowers and something I couldn’t place. I sat beside my mother while she went through details I didn’t want to think about. The casket. The service. The photographs. The clothes he would wear.Every decision made his death feel more permanent.At one point, someone asked me what kind of flowers my father liked.No answer came.There were things I knew about my father. The sound of his laugh. The

Candace POVI almost didn’t go.I stood outside Harper’s office for almost a full minute, staring at the door and wondering why I’d agreed to come back.Nothing had changed since our first conversation. My father was still dead. My mother was still hurting. I was still waking up every morning with that heavy feeling in my chest before I remembered why it was there.Talking about it wasn’t going to bring him back. So what exactly was I doing here?I looked at the door again. Maybe I could leave. I could tell myself I had somewhere else to be. Class. Work. Anything.Instead, I knocked.“Come in.”I opened the door.Harper looked up from her desk.“Hi, Candace.”“Hi.”She gestured toward the chair across from her.“You came back.”I sat down.She didn’t immediately say anything. I looked around the room instead. It was quieter than most places on campus. There were two chairs, a small table between them, a bookshelf against one wall, and a plant sitting beside the window.Harper closed t

Candace POVElias didn’t answer immediately. I stared at the message on my screen, waiting for the typing bubble to appear. Nothing. I told myself that was probably a good thing.I had asked him to meet me without even knowing what I wanted to say. I hadn’t planned the conversation. I hadn’t thought about what would happen if he said yes, or what I would do if he asked why I wanted to see him. I just knew I wanted to.My phone buzzed.Elias: Where?I looked at the message for a few seconds before replying.Me: Somewhere quiet.Another pause.Elias: I’ll meet you tomorrow behind the third library after your last class.I locked my phone. All night. That was enough time to change my mind. I didn’t.By the time I reached the library, my hands were cold despite the warm evening air. I stood near the back. Then I saw Elias walk toward me from across, his hands in the pockets of his jacket. He slowed when he saw me.Neither of us spoke right away.There was something strange about seeing h

Candace POVI shouldn’t have gone back. I knew that before I even reached the building. There was no assignment waiting for me. No reason for me to be there after classes. I could’ve gone home, taken a shower, ordered food, watched something mindless until I fell asleep. Instead, I stood outside Elias’s office, staring at the door. I raised my hand. Knocked. A few seconds passed. The door opened.Elias looked surprised to see me.“Candace?”“Can I come in?”He stepped aside. I walked in. He closed the door behind me. Neither of us spoke for a moment.“What are you doing here?”“I don’t know.”He gave me a look. “That’s not much of an answer.”“I know.” I put my bag down on one of the chairs. “I just wanted to talk.”“About what?”I looked at him.“You.”His expression changed.“Candace.”“I know.”I rubbed my hands together.“I know this is a bad idea. I know we shouldn’t be doing this.”“Then why are you here?”I swallowed.“Because I don’t know how to stop loving you.”The room wen