He pinned a new photo to the wall—a shot of the Mercy Logistics headquarters, taken from the street.
"You're building something here. Something important."
"I'm building a map. A way to understand what happened to me. A way to find the people responsible."
"And when you find them?"
"Then I'll make them pay."
He didn't flinch.
"And then what?"
"I don't know. I haven't thought that far ahead."
"Maybe you should."
"Maybe. But not today. Today, I just need to keep going."
The sun was setting when Matt finally left.
He stood in the doorway, his hand on the frame, his eyes on the wall behind me.
"You need to sleep tonight. Real sleep. Not the kind where you pass out from exhaustion."
"I'll try."
"That's not good enough."
"It's all I have."
"Then I'll stay."
"You don't have to—"
"I know. But I will."
He walked back inside and sat in the chair. The same chair. The same spot. The same steady presence.
"Matt."
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For being here. For not giving up on me."
"I'm not going to give up on you, Bunny. You're the closest thing to family I've got."
The words landed in my chest like something warm.
"Family."
"Yeah. Family."
He pulled out his phone and started scrolling, and I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
16
The Pattern Emerges
