Evelyn's POV
Maybe he noticed how exhausted I looked, or maybe he simply didn’t care for unnecessary conversation, but the silence between us settled naturally, almost deliberately—like he had given me a small, temporary space where I didn’t have to perform, explain, or even think.
And for once, I was grateful for that.
By the time we reached the hospital, it was already past eleven.
I got out of the car, thanked him again, and pulled my suitcase toward the inpatient wing, only to pass the emergency entrance where nurses rushed past with stretchers, machines beeping sharply while voices overlapped in urgency, the chaos spilling out into the night like the entire building had tipped into crisis mode.
Something made me glance back.
Julian was there.
Not far behind me.
Our eyes met br
