Chapter 97. Can I Come in?

“I’m going to see her.”

John blinks at me like I just slapped him awake.

“At this hour?”

I nod. “I can’t wait.”

My voice is steady, but I feel anything but. There’s a storm twisting in my chest—shame, guilt, something deeper I can’t name. “I need to fix things before it’s too late.”

He studies me. A long pause. Then sighs.

“She usually falls asleep around ten. These days she sleeps a lot—her body’s adjusting. Eats a lot too. Gets tired often.”

I freeze. “You’re watching her?”

“I had to,” he says, not defensive, just matter-of-fact. “For safety. I climbed in through the window while she was out. Planted one camera in the kitchen—nothing invasive. Just… enough to know she’s okay.”

He’s not apologizing.

I don’t want him to.

“Send me the feed,” I say.

Then I start packing.

It’s not much—I’m not going to stay. Just see her. Apologize. Try to stand before her without the weight of what I did collapsing