He looked back at the closed door of Mary’s room.

“My partner, Harrison Vance,” Ethan said, his eyes narrowing slightly. “He has been waiting for a mistake like this for five years.”

“A mistake?” I asked, a spark of anger rising in my chest. “Is that what your daughter is?”

Ethan looked at me, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of genuine regret in his eyes.

“No,” he said. “But Vance will tell the board it is.”

He looked down at his phone as a new message popped up on the screen.

I could see the preview of the text from Raskin.

*Vance is calling for a vote of no confidence. He’s using the police report from the eviction.*

Ethan slid the phone back into his pocket, his hand steadying as the old, cold business persona began to settle over him like armor.

“I have to go to the office,” he said.

“And leave her?” I asked, pointing toward the door.

“If I lose the company, I lose the ability to pay for any of this,” he said, gesturing to the private wing, the quiet halls, the specialized equipment.