A nurse passed by, smiling warmly. “Don Moretti, your wife looks radiant today.”
My throat tightened, but I didn’t correct her.
I didn’t have the strength.
I turned away, intent on slipping out unseen.
“Avery.”
Zachary’s voice cut through the corridor.
I stopped mid-step. My shoulders stiffened, but I didn’t turn right away. Of course he noticed me. Of course he couldn’t allow me to vanish quietly.
I finally faced him across the polished floor. “I wasn’t trailing you,” I said evenly. “I was discharged today. I didn’t know you’d be here.”
Before he could respond, Nina looped her arm through his, clinging to him as though she’d always belonged there.
“Love,” she said gently, false concern dripping from every syllable, “maybe she should ride with us. I feel a little guilty, you know. She gave blood for me. The least we could do is make sure she gets home.”
The audacity nearly made me laugh.
Zachary brushed his thumb along Nina’s cheek. “You’re too kind,” he murmured, then looked at me. “Fine.”
So I got into the car.
Not because I wanted to—but because I needed my documents before I disappeared for good.
I slid into the backseat and fixed my gaze forward.
That was when I saw it.