Chapter 47 The Visit

• The revelation about Vivian’s early knowledge of her illness sat between us like a specter at a feast. Alexander retreated into a brooding silence that even Thorne’s most encouraging physiotherapy prompts couldn’t penetrate. He was no longer just processing his own guilt; he was grappling with the profound tragedy of Vivian’s choices, a tragedy he now understood he had helped author through his neglect.
• Days passed. The legal machinery ground on, a distant rumble compared to the quiet storm in our secured suite. Alexander’s physical strength returned, but a new weight seemed to settle on him, a gravity born of devastating comprehension.
• One morning, over a breakfast neither of us was eating, he looked up from his untouched coffee. His eyes were clear, but shadowed with resolve.