Chapter 3 - Night in the Emergency Ward
The sterile white lights of the pediatric emergency department were a jarring contrast to the candlelit dining room they had fled forty minutes earlier. Amy sat on the examination table, her arms still wrapped tightly around Leo, refusing to set him down even as the nurse wrapped an oversized cuff around his tiny arm.
"Temperature is 103.8," the nurse noted calmly, though her eyes were attentive. "We need to get some fluids into him and run blood work to rule out a severe infection."
Amy began to cry, silent tears sliding down her pale cheeks. She had worn a simple linen dress to please Victoria, wanting so desperately to prove she belonged in the Sterling family's world of pristine appearances. Instead, she had ignored her own instincts while her child suffered.
Mark sat beside her on the vinyl bench, pulling her trembling hands into his. "Hey. Look at me."
She shook her head, unable to meet his eyes. "I knew he was sick hours ago, Mark. At four o'clock. But she kept handing me tasks—the seating cards, the flowers, the appetizers. She said if I walked away, I would ruin your big night. I should have walked away."
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"This isn't on you," Mark said, his voice thick with regret. "I left you alone with her. I knew how she operated—the subtle cuts, the constant demands disguised as manners. I wanted to believe she could change. I wanted everyone to get along so badly that I ignored how heavy the burden was on you."
He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers. "Never again. I swear to you, Amy. Never again."
