NovelEnglishChapter 1027
But she knew—if she lost hope, if she gave up, then there wouldn't be a single chance left for them.
He had to live. Really live.
And she needed to love him again, just like before. Grow old together, like those couples in old love songs.
Evadne Abernathy had always been a little greedy that way.
"Aaron, did you guys run an autopsy on Avery Chambers?" Evadne couldn't let herself sit still. She called Aaron
Ashbourne, her voice brisk, urgent.
"We did," Aaron replied. "Cause of death was cardiac arrest. But the coroner says it wasn't from any pre-existing
condition-it was an overdose. Injected."
Evadne's suspicion only deepened. She lowered her voice.
"When we were on Rose Island, Avery took all kinds of junk just to keep himself going. Never seemed to faze
him. But he's been in county lockup for over two weeks-no pills, no IVs, nothing. Then he just drops dead? Out of
nowhere? Doesn't that strike you as odd?"
Aaron sounded uneasy. "We can speculate all day, but there's no solid evidence."
"Other than me, did anyone else visit him recently?"
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"The Chambers clan has all but disappeared. Who else would even bother?"
"Start with anyone who was in contact with him. | don't care if it's the janitor emptying his trash-check them all!"
Evadne steadied her breath, her eyes-swollen from crying-suddenly razor- sharp. “Aaron, did you forget? When
Byron Chambers was in jail, he didn't last long either. Only that time, it was obvious-a straight-up murder. This
time, it's cleaner. Smarter. Maybe someone injected him while he was asleep. So check every single person who
had access to his cell. Inmates, guards, everyone. Look at their backgrounds, bank statements, everything!"
"Yeah, | was planning on it," Aaron said, then hesitated before asking quietly, "Evadne, are you okay?"
"I'm great. Just peachy."
She forced a shaky laugh, blinking away tears. "Thaddeus is awake. That's all that matters. As long as he's okay,
I'm okay."
"Don't kid yourself. We all know Thaddeus isn't himself right now," Aaron sighed, his voice gentle but firm. "Look,
Evadne, you're not going to like this, but if Thaddeus' mind doesn't recover... | don't think you should keep
holding on. He's worse now than three years ago. Back then, he just didn't know how to love. Now, he might not
be able to at all."
"You two never signed the papers. You're not married. You don't owe him a life of waiting. There's an old saying:
sometimes it's better to move on than to drown together. Maybe it's tyou both start fresh, separately.
Wouldn't that be better?"
Better?
Could it ever be better?
He might have lost the ability to love, but she felt like her heart had been hollowed out.
"It won't be like this forever, Aaron. Dr. Chasel says there's a chance his feelings could cback."
Evadne was stubborn as a mule-no
force on earth could change her mind. "Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything reckless. If he's forgotten how
to love, then I'll just have to teach him. Step by step. All over again."
Aaron knew there was no changing her mind.
But Ms. Evadne Abernathy—she
could afford to be stubborn. She had more resilience than anyone. All they could do was stand behind her, be her
safety net. The rest? Out of their hands.
Let her go her way.
She didn't know how long she'd been curled up on the stiff plastic bench in the
hospital corridor, arms wrapped around herself, drifting off.
Nightmares chased her even in sleep. She dreamed of Thaddeus walking away from her, never looking back,
while she chased him through endless darkness, calling his nuntil her voice broke.
Suddenly, he vanished.
And the ground beneath her feet disappeared, opening up into a bottomless, terrifying abyss.
"Jump!" a mocking voice sneered. "He's down there! What, you scared? You won't do it."
Laughter echoed, cruel and wild.
Evadne's eyes brimmed with tears, her whole body cold with terror. But then, with a surge of wild courage, she
screamed-
"I'll jump!"
Thunk-
Her desperate cry echoed down the empty hallway as she jolted awake, falling right off the bench.
Pain shot through her, dragging her back to reality.
She was drenched in sweat, every muscle aching. For a moment, she couldn't even straighten her back, just lay
there, gasping.
She managed to roll over, blinking through tears. And then her eyes went wide.
Standing right beside her, tall and imposing in a hospital gown, was Thaddeus. He looked down at her, face
unreadable.
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