Chapter 8 Bitter

• Esme's POV
• “Tell me, why did you send for me?” I asked, my voice calm but heavy. I didn’t blink. I wanted him to see that question for what it really was — not curiosity but accusation.
• He looked at me rigidly, shoulders tight. His gaze darted briefly toward Cole before coming back to me. “You’re one of the best doctors in the city,” he began, the words tight but leveled. “The most outsourced doctor in the country, even. If I could do this elsewhere, I would have. But I couldn’t…”