Chapter 72. Emotional Support

Ryan

It's been a week since the lump was surgically removed from Ryan’s chest, and he’s at the hospital, waiting for Elaine Jenkins, Julie's mother.

The hospital parking lot feels like purgatory—just endless rows of cars and the low hum of fluorescent lights that turn every reflective surface into a pale green.

Ryan is sitting in the back seat of his car, fidgeting with the leather strap of his watch. He doesn’t know why he called Elaine of all people. Maybe because her number is there, wedged between his lawyer and his financial advisor, or maybe because she looks a lot like Julie.

The thought of Julie sends a pang through him. She hasn’t been taking his calls. Yeah, he did say he’d let her have the divorce, and he might have threatened her while doing it. But she should know he doesn’t mean any of that. Even if she’s leaving him, they could be friends, right? Friends are allowed to call each other when they’re falling apart.

He catche