Chapter 4

The next day at noon, under a harsh sun, Thomas was in a cross-hospital specialist meeting on the top floor of inpatient care while Sophie Lane asked me to meet her at the café across from the hospital.

She chose a window seat and was still wearing yesterday's white floral dress, her face paler than the foam in her coffee.

I sat down without a word and simply watched her. The silence made her uneasy. She twisted the tissue tight until her fingertips turned pale.

"Em, I'm sorry." She spoke first. Tears plopped onto the table without warning, and she…