Melissa’s face drained of color.
“Last night, I felt really sick,” I continued, my lungs working overtime, hyperventilating as the memories rushed back. “Mrs. Carter said I was just putting on a show. Mr. Carter warned me that if I made them waste money on a doctor again, I would regret it forever.” I leaned forward, pleading with everything I had left. “Please don’t call them. If they believe I passed away, they’ll stop hunting for me.”
Daniel didn’t say a word; he simply spun on his heel and strode out of the room to intercept the charge nurse. Melissa stayed, leaning in so close I could smell the peppermint on her breath.
“Ava, listen to me,” she said, her voice anchoring me to the room. “I am not going to lie and declare you dead. But I swear to you right now—we are going to protect you.”
I stared at her, searching the microscopic lines around her eyes for the deception I had come to expect from every adult in my life. Before I could decide if she was lying, a sharp crackle of a walkie-talkie echoed from the hallway outside.
Daniel leaned back through the doorway, his face pale and grim. “Security just radioed up,” he whispered urgently to Dr. Grant. “The Carters are down in the lobby. And they are demanding to see her right now.”
Chapter 2: The Architecture of a Lie
