There was a pause, and then Olivia’s voice returned, lower now. “You don’t have to be okay right now.”
Catherine’s throat closed around a response.
“You scared the hell out of us,” Olivia said, her hand covering Catherine’s. “And I think you’re still scaring yourself.”
Catherine let out a soft, bitter laugh. “You have no idea.”
“I have some,” Olivia said, her thumb brushing Catherine’s knuckles. “You’ve always been the strong one. The one who held everything together so the rest of us wouldn’t have to.”
“And?”
“And I think that nearly dying shook something loose. You’re allowed to come undone. You’re allowed to want more.”
Catherine’s jaw tightened. Her eyes flicked to the door. “She’s not coming, Liv.”
Olivia didn’t say anything. But she didn’t have to.
Later, Roz arrived. No flowers or soft entry. She leaned against the frame of the doorway and raised one pink eyebrow.
“You look like shit,” she said.
Catherine’s lips twitched. “Thanks.”
Roz stepped inside and perched on the foot of the bed. “So, are we gonna talk about how you’re lying in here like a sad ghost or…?”
“Not in the mood, Roz.”
“That’s new.” Roz crossed her arms. “You’ve been staring at that door like you expect her to walk through it. She hasn’t.”
“No,” Catherine said flatly.
Roz tilted her head. “And you think that’s because she doesn’t care? After everything?”
Catherine didn’t answer.
Roz leaned forward. “You think she wouldn’t be here unless someone stopped her?”
That caught Catherine. Her spine stiffened. “What?”
Roz’s gaze didn’t waver. “You think she’d just…stay away? Without a word? That doesn’t sound like Sloane. That sounds like interference.”
“She could’ve called.”
“She probably thinks you don’t want her here.” Roz’s voice was calm but hard. “What did Evelyn say to her?”
“I don’t know,” Catherine whispered. “Nothing. She barely acknowledged her.”
Roz scoffed. “Exactly.”
The silence between them was thick.
“She loves you,” Roz added. “That was obvious to anyone with eyes. If she’s not here, it’s not because she doesn’t care. It’s because something or someone got in the way.”
The seed was planted. Catherine looked away, but the doubt bloomed.
Night came slowly.
The city glittered beyond the window, but Catherine wasn’t looking at it. She sat upright in the bed, legs drawn slightly under the covers, a book unopened in her lap. Her phone rested on the tray beside her, dark screen taunting.
