Through the open line, I could hear Luke’s heavy breathing.

“He knows,” Vivian’s voice whispered in the background.

“He knows everything.”

I reached out with a trembling hand and picked up my phone.

“Luke,” I whispered into the receiver.

“Elena,” he answered instantly, his voice tight with anger.

“I heard,” I said.

“Don’t do this.”

“Don’t lose your company for me.”

“We are coming back to the hospital,” Luke said, ignoring my plea.

“We need to move you.”

“Now.”

Before I could reply, the heavy wooden door of my hospital room slowly began to creak open.

The shadows from the hallway stretched across the tiled floor, and a tall figure stepped into the dim light.

The shadow in the doorway did not move for several seconds.

My heart hammered against my ribs, the sound loud in my own ears.

“Luke,” I whispered, keeping the phone close to my mouth. “Someone is here.”

The figure stepped fully into the room, and the harsh light from the corridor caught his face.

It was Dr. Avery Bennett.

His blue scrubs were wrinkled, and his stethoscope hung loose around his neck.