“You sound like your mother,” Ani bickered, rounding the bed. “And you and your brother definitely aren’t identical.”

“Close enough,” I muttered as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Sarai closed her eyes as I pulled my pants and socks off, and she didn’t move as I climbed into bed beside her.

“Do you need anything?” I asked, pulling the blankets up to her shoulder.

“Just sleep,” she said dully.

I watched her as her breathing slowed and finally evened out, but I couldn’t fall asleep. Since the moment she’d gotten back from surgery the night before, something had been off. It was like she’d shut down. There weren’t any more tears, but there wasn’t any conversation, either. She barely said a word even when I asked her direct questions.

She’d completely closed herself off from me.

Chapter 16

Sarai

I woke up from my nap to the sound of voices in the living room. Alex wasn’t in bed beside me anymore, and I let out a little sigh of relief. I didn’t know what to say to him. I didn’t know what to say to anyone, really, but it was worse with him.

The last twenty-four hours felt so unreal. I didn’t understand any of it. I’d known that Sean was an asshole, but I never could’ve predicted how crazy he’d turned out to be.

I slid my hand over my stomach and stared at the ceiling.

“You’re awake,” Ani said, peeking around the door.

“Yes,” I said, using my good arm to push myself up.

“You’ve got someone out here who wants to see you,” she said. “Do you want to stay in here or come out?”

“I’ll come out,” I replied, wondering who it could be.

The sky had darkened while I’d slept, and rain dripped down the window, making me shudder. I lifted a hand to my hair, expecting it to feel wet, then remembered that it had dried overnight at the hospital.

“You have a robe?” Ani asked, coming into the room. She opened my closet and found what she was looking for, then helped me put it on.

Ani was pushy. She didn’t wait for my permission, just waded in and did what she thought was best. For some reason, though, I liked it. I didn’t have to worry about her feelings or try to make her comfortable; I just had to let her have her way, which was fine with me. There was no pressure to do or say the right thing.

I followed her out of the room, trying to ignore the pad that bunched and moved with each step. Every time it rubbed against my skin, it was a reminder of what I’d lost, like someone tapping on my shoulder to point it out.