CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Bryony
Awakening
Pain.
That was the first thing I felt when I woke up. Pain everywhere—my head, my chest, my legs. Like my entire body had been shattered and put back together wrong.
I tried to open my eyes, but the light was too bright. I made a sound—a whimper, maybe—and immediately, someone was there.
"Bryony? Bryony, can you hear me?"
I knew that voice. Dr. Carver.
I managed to crack my eyes open. Everything was blurry, but I could make out shapes. A hospital room. Machines. A woman in a white coat leaning over me.
"That's it," Dr. Carver said gently. "Take your time. You're in the hospital. You were in an accident, but you're safe now."
Accident.
The word triggered something. Memories started flooding back—Henrik's face, the texts from Amelia, the confrontation that never happened. Driving away. Headlights in my rearview mirror. The impact.
"Henrik," I tried to say, but my throat was too dry. It came out as a croak.
"Don't try to talk yet," Dr. Carver said. She held a cup of water with a straw to my lips. "Small sips."
I drank, the cool water soothing my throat. "Henrik," I said again, clearer this time.
"He's been here," Dr. Carver said carefully. "He's been sitting with you every day."
Every day. How long had I been unconscious?
"How long?" I managed.
"Five days. You've been in a medically induced coma while your body healed. You had some severe injuries—a ruptured spleen, broken ribs, a subdural hematoma. But you're going to be okay."
Five days. I'd lost five days.
"Your brother is here too," Dr. Carver continued. "Luca. And his friend Deangelo. They've been here the whole time."
Luca. Deangelo.
Oh God. They knew. They knew about Henrik, about the accident, about everything.
"I'll let them know you're awake," Dr. Carver said. "But first, I need to check your vitals."
She went through a series of tests—checking my pupils, asking me to squeeze her hands, testing my reflexes. Everything hurt, but apparently, everything was working the way it should.
"You're doing great," she said. "I'm going to get your family now."
She left, and I was alone with my thoughts.
Henrik had been here. Sitting with me. Playing the devoted husband.
But I knew the truth. I knew about Amelia. About the affair. About how little I'd meant to him.
And I knew that as soon as I was strong enough, I was leaving him.
The door opened, and I expected to see Luca. But it wasn't my brother who walked in.
It was Deangelo.