Chapter 4

Days blurred together in Alexander's Hamptons estate. I drifted between sleep and consciousness, haunted by nightmares of dark water filling my lungs and Victoria's cold smile as I drowned. The medical team Alexander had assembled monitored my recovery with quiet efficiency, but the physical healing came faster than the emotional.

One morning, as pale sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my recovery suite, I found myself alone for the first time in days. The constant supervision had been lifted—a sign of progress, I supposed. On the bedside table sat a stack of magazines, a tablet, and a notepad with…