Chapter 4

The hospital bed felt like a cage, its starched white sheets a mockery of the purity I'd once believed existed in my relationship with Oliver. Three days had passed since the accident—three days of broken ribs, a concussion, and the steady drip of morphine that couldn't numb the deeper pain festering in my chest.

Oliver visited each morning with fresh flowers and concerned expressions, playing the devoted boyfriend with an Oscar-worthy performance. The nurses swooned over his attentiveness, whispering about how lucky I was to have such a caring man. If only they knew that his gentle touches felt like…