“If she did, she never told me about it. And clearly, he stuck with his wife. He’s a bastard and she deserves better.”
WYNTER
I don’t sleep, not really. I lie there staring at the ceiling with Luke’s name circling my head like a bad omen. The way Ray spoke about him . . . the way Anika’s been lately . . .
It clicks too easily.
By six, I give up. I throw on a robe and head straight to her room. I won’t let him near her again. Not now I know what he’s like. But I also have a need to talk to her, to check if he’s the reason she’s been so quiet lately.
I push the door open quietly, and I instantly feel like something is off. I can’t explain it. The room just feels too still.
My gaze lands on Anika, and my stomach drops. The way she’s lying isn’t right. She’s tilted to one side, unmoving, just like the man from last night. Her lips are pale, her skin porcelain white.
“No,” I whisper, stepping closer. “Anika?” My heart starts pounding heavy in my chest. “Anika, wake up.” But there’s nothing, not even a slight stir.
I move closer, my hands trembling as I reach for her, carefully pressing my fingers to her neck. I instantly retract my hand, holding it to my chest and staring through widened eyes.
She’s cold.Ice cold.And her chest isn’t moving.
She’s not breathing.
“No—” The word barely leaves my lips before I’m running back to my room, almost slipping over. “Ray,” I gasp, shaking him hard. “Ray!”
He jolts awake, grabbing my wrist hard instinctively. I flinch. He releases me instantly when he realises it’s me.
“What?”
“It’s Anika,” I choke out. “She’s not . . . she’s not . . .”
He’s already moving, diving out of bed before I can finish. I follow, my legs barely keeping up.
“Anika,” he says, his voice low and urgent as he reaches her. He touches her forehead and freezes. “Fuck. Anika,” he says again, louder now, sharper. Then he shakes her. She’s lifeless, her head dropping forward.
I gasp as he slams his palm against the button, lowering the bed flat.
“Call an ambulance,” he orders.
The agency carer rushes in, she takes one look at Ray, and rushes to the bedside too. Ray begins pumping her chest, his movements hard,frantic.
I can’t move. It’s like I’m frozen to the spot.
“Wynter!” Ray roars. “Call an ambulance!”
The sound snaps something inside me, and I turn and run back into the bedroom to grab my phone.
My hands won’t stop shaking and I drop it. “Shit!” I snatch it up again and dial, pressing it to my ear and forcing myself to slow my breathing.
“I need an ambulance,” I gasp, the second the call connects, and I reel off the address.
“Okay,” the operator says calmly. “Is the patient breathing?”
A sob catches in my throat. “No. No, she’s not breathing.”
“Alright, I’m sending help now,” she says, steady and controlled. “But I need you to stay on the line. What’s your name?”
“Wynter,” I whisper.
“Okay, Wynter. Are you with the patient?”