"I don’t like this. Can you at least tell Adam? That’s all I’m asking. If Adam knows... then I’ll be at peace. At least I’ll feel like soone on the outside is aware of what’s happening."
"I understand, lanie. I really do. But I can’t take that risk right now. I know this situation makes you uneasy. You feel cornered. But if Cadence starts sensing that sothing’s off-if he even suspects that you’re not fully cooperating or planning sothing else, he won’t hesitate. He won’t let you leave. And if that happens, everything we’ve planned so far could fall apart. We can’t afford to stir things up just yet."
lanie sighed deeply, her shoulders dropping as she looked down at her hands. Her voice was quieter now, "Then what am I supposed to do? Just walk into that house like I belong there? Like I know these people? Look, I understand what you said, that I should go back pretending to be lody and try to clear things up slowly- but those people are strangers to and..."
She paused, then looked up again. "Also, telling Adam that lody has returned is okay, right? There’s nothing wrong with that. If, like you said, he’s already suspicious, then he’ll co looking for answers. He’ll try to get close. And once he sees , everything will be okay. He’ll make sure I’m protected, or at the very least, that I’m not alone in this."
"lanie..." he said, gently but firmly. "Cadence isn’t a fool. Yes, he believes you’re lody, but don’t assu he’s blindly convinced. He’s obsessive, not reckless. He knows how to play the long ga. He’ll avoid unnecessary risks, but that doesn’t an he isn’t watching closely. He’s probably already placed people around Adam. Maybe not directly, but close enough to know if there’s any sign of you trying to reach out. Any shift in your behavior could tip him off."
lanie clenched her jaw, trying to push down the chill crawling up her spine.
"You have to be extrely careful," he continued. "Even if you try to slowly push lody to the side and let yourself go back, you must do it quietly. Subtly. No one outside your imdiate circle should notice the difference. Okay? For now, I’ve ssaged Mrs Thomas that she should not reveal the news of your return because you might still be in danger because of your kidnappers."
Just then, the door opened with a soft click and Cadence stepped inside. Dr. Jung continued imdiately, as if they had already been discussing only about her health, "You’ll need to continue the dication once you’re there. Don’t skip a dose. It’s important for your recovery."
lanie nodded weakly, her expression unreadable. Then, as if on instinct, she turned to Cadence and held out her hand. She knew that with just that one gesture, he would be easy to handle. It was a trick that Dr Jung had told her. As expected, the man took her hand hurriedly and ca to sit beside her on the sick bed but then imdiately turned his head to glare at the doctor, "Why is she still hot? Her fever hasn’t gone down. It’s been over a day."
Dr. Jung didn’t flinch. "Her body’s still reacting to stress. The dication is working, but it’ll take ti. Her head was all ssed up and you know it."
Cadence’s eyes narrowed slightly. He looked back at lanie, brushing his thumb over her knuckles. "Do you want to delay going to your parent’s ho. It would be better if she could postpone it to next..."
"No!" lanie almost scread before catching herself. She drew in a sharp breath and lowered her voice. "No. I need to go now. If we wait any longer, they’ll have more questions. If I show up weak and recovering, then it’ll be easier to explain why I didn’t co back right away. They’ll assu I was too sick to travel, that you kept safe and helped recover first. It’ll work in our favour."
Cadence looked at her, confused for a mont. "But..."
Dr. Jung stepped in smoothly. "She’s right. This is the best ti. Let them see her like this...pale, tired, clearly still unwell. That way, any doubts about her absence will shift toward concern. They’ll be relieved she’s back, not suspicious. And later, if any questions co up, we can simply say she needed more ti because of her condition. Your na will be the one tied to her rescue."
Cadence still didn’t look convinced. His jaw tightened.
"Think about it," lanie added, this ti calr, more controlled. "They’ll assu the reason I didn’t co ho sooner was because of how bad things were. If I go now, like this, it paints a picture they’ll want to believe. That you found , cared for , and brought ho when I could finally manage it. It’ll make you look like a saviour, not a..." lanie paused. Yep.. Look like a saviour and not a kidnapper.
Dr. Jung nodded, as if to solidify the point. "Exactly. And to be clear, her condition isn’t that serious. It’s just the flu. A combination of exhaustion and a bit of fever. She’ll be fine in a few days."
That was a mistake.
Cadence stiffened. His head snapped toward Jung.
"Just the flu?" he repeated, his voice low and dangerous. "Are you saying she’s exaggerating? That she’s pretending?"
"No, not at all," Dr. Jung said quickly, keeping his voice even. "I’m saying it’s manageable. Nothing life-threatening. That’s a good thing, isn’t it?"
Cadence stood up abruptly, his hand balling into a fist at his side. "You think it’s fine for her to burn with fever all night and just call it a flu?"
His hand twitched, jaw locked tight, steps moving forward.
"Cadence!" lanie said sharply, reaching out and grabbing his arm. He stopped mid-step, his whole body tense as he looked down at her.
"Don’t do it," she said, eyes locking with his, her voice firm. "I don’t want to witness any fights. Not now. Not like this."
"But he said- "
"I don’t care what he said." Her hand didn’t loosen on his arm. "I don’t care if he calls it the flu or sothing else. I don’t want to see you lose control. I don’t want to feel afraid when I look at you."
That seed to put Cadence at ease and he hurriedly sat back down next to lanie, holding her hand.
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