Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Ella confides in Evan about Thomas's menacing reappearance. They decide to seek police protection, but Thomas escalates by spreading rumors at the hospital, damaging Ella's reputation. Mrs. Gable witnesses Evan's unwavering support and softens her stance. Thomas makes a desperate attempt to confront Ella at her mother's home, leading to a violent struggle. Evan arrives in time to protect her, and Thomas is arrested. In the aftermath, Evan proposes to Ella, and she accepts, deciding to face the future together.
The night after the quarantine lifted was restless. Ella lay in her narrow bed, staring at the ceiling, her mother's soft breathing from the next room a fragile comfort. Every creak of the old building made her tense. She had bolted the door twice, checked the windows, and still she felt Thomas’s gaze like a brand on her skin.
Morning came slowly, gray and damp. Ella dressed with practiced efficiency, her hands moving automatically while her mind churned. She had to tell Evan. The thought brought both relief and dread—relief because he would know what to do, dread because she hated to appear weak.
At the hospital, the routine was a balm. Patients needed care, medicines needed measuring, and for a few hours she could pretend the world was ordinary. But when Evan found her in the supply closet, his eyes searching, the pretense crumbled.
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