“It did fail,” I said. “But it did not have to.”

Ethan stared at me, his chest rising and falling quickly.

He stepped around the desk, stopping just a few feet away from me.

“What are you saying, Grace?”

I could see the pain in his eyes, the raw grief that had never left him.

I knew that what I was about to say would change everything.

I looked at the door, wondering if Daniel was listening outside.

Then I looked back at Ethan.

“There was a report,” I said quietly.

“A report about what?” Ethan asked, leaning in.

“An incident report regarding the chief surgeon,” I said.

The silence in the room grew heavy.

The rain continued to beat against the window.

Ethan’s phone on the desk suddenly lit up, vibrating against the wood.

It was a text from Daniel.

The screen showed the first few words of the message.

*She is hiding the police report from that night.*

Ethan looked down at the phone, then back up at me.

“Grace,” he said, his voice trembling. “Tell me the truth.”