The message didn’t leave my head.
Not when I sat beside my mum.
Not when I watched the nurses move in and out of the room.
Not even when Max stayed close, quiet, controlled, like he was trying not to make things worse just by being there.
“You’re thinking again,” he said quietly.
I didn’t look at him. “You’re not surprised.”
“No.”
“I got a message telling me to be careful who I trust, and your response is ‘they’re shifting tactics,’” I said, keeping my voice low so my mum wouldn’t hear. “That doesn’t exactly calm me down.”
“It’s not meant to calm you down,” he replied.
That made me look at him.
“Then what is it meant to do?”
“Make you aware.”
“I am aware,” I said. “Very aware.”
His gaze held mine.
“Good.”
The word landed heavier than it should have.
Because it wasn’t comfor
