Chapter 4

"Smell yourself," I said, shaking his grip off and taking a step back.

"Your daughter is lying in the ICU hooked to machines, and you were busy celebrating your little golden girl’s birthday. Ethan Hayes, search whatever conscience you have left—do you even qualify as a human being?"

His face darkened, his lips pressing into a grim line.

"Here you go again. Tessa, I’m warning you for the last time: stop using our child as a bargaining chip—"

"The doctor said Lily’s peanut antibody levels are abnormally high," I cut him off, staring directly into his eyes.

"This wasn't caused by a single exposure tonight. She’s been ingesting it continuously. Someone has been feeding your daughter trace amounts of peanut protein on purpose."

The hallway fell dead silent.

Ethan frowned, looking thoroughly confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying someone is trying to kill your daughter."

Chloe gasped sharply, nearly dropping the thermos in her hands. She slapped a hand over her mouth, looking horrified.

"How could that be...? Ethan, who has Lily been spending time with lately?"

As she asked, her eyes darted toward me.

It was so fast I almost missed it.

It wasn't a look of horror. It was a calculated test.

I said nothing more. Talking was pointless right now.

Lily was still inside the ICU, and the man standing in front of me only had room in his brain for his high school crush. Anything I said would sound like hysterical accusations to him.

Seeing my silence, Ethan assumed I was backing down. His tone softened marginally.

"You've been up all night. Go home and get some sleep. I'll stay here and watch over her."

Yet as he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Chloe.

Chloe shook her head with saintly modesty. "Ethan, you stay here with Tessa. I'll just have the driver take me home. I really am so sorry about tonight..."

"You don't need to leave," I said, my voice steady.

"Since you're here, why rush? The specialist comes on duty in a few hours. There are questions that need answering."

Chloe's steps halted. She turned back to look at me, panic flashing through her eyes again, but she quickly smoothed it away with another layer of sweet compliance.

"Tessa is right. I should stay and see if there's anything I can do to help."

Ethan frowned. "Tessa, what are you trying to pull?"

I ignored him, walked over to the nurses' station, and asked to borrow their phone again.

Some paths you have to walk alone.

As the sky began to turn pale gray, I dialed Julian’s number.

He was my college classmate and the only person in this city I could still trust.

Over the past few years, I had isolated myself completely for the sake of Ethan and our marriage, drifting away from nearly all my old friends.

Only Julian still sent a message every holiday and mailed toys for Lily's birthday.

The phone rang seven or eight times before a groggy, gravelly voice answered.

"Tessa?"

"Julian, I need your help."

I gripped the phone tightly, my fingernails biting into my palm.

"Find me a top-tier criminal defense attorney. And I need a forensic technician who can collect physical evidence from my house. As soon as possible."

Silence hung on the line for two seconds. Then Julian’s voice snapped completely awake.

"What happened?"

"Someone is poisoning my daughter." Saying the words aloud, I surprised myself with how calm I sounded. "Someone has been secretly micro-dosing her with peanut protein. She has a lethal allergy. She almost died in the trauma unit last night. I'm going to find out who did it, and I'm going to destroy them."

Julian didn't ask a single unnecessary question.

"Send me the address. I'll be there within two hours. I know an attorney and a forensics expert. I’m calling them right now."

After hanging up, I leaned against the cold wall and slowly slid to the floor, burying my face in my knees.

I couldn't cry.

Lily was still waiting for me.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over me, blocking the fluorescent lights.

I lifted my head and met a pair of overly sympathetic eyes.

Chloe had walked up while I wasn't looking. She held a cup of warm milk, extending it toward me.

"Tessa, drink something warm. You haven't slept all night."

I didn't take it. I just stared at her.