A doctor came out twenty minutes after Evelyn arrived.
“Ms.
Cole, your son is stable.
He’s breathing on his own and his vitals are holding.
We’ve given him medication to regulate the episode and he’s resting now.”
”Can I see him?” Evelyn said, her voice shaking.
“In a little while.
We want to monitor him for the next hour before we move him to a room.”
”What caused it this time?
Was it the same trigger as before?”
The doctor paused at that.
A small pause.
“We’re running additional tests.
His previous records indicate a hereditary cardiac condition and we want to be thorough.
There are some areas we’d like to investigate more closely.” He looked at her carefully.
“Is the boy’s father available?
His full genetic history would help us significantly with the next steps.”
Evelyn held the doctor’s gaze without moving.
“His father is not in the picture,” she said.
“I’ll provide whatever I can from my side.”
The doctor nodded professionally, no judgment.
“Of course.
We’ll work with what we have.
I’ll come find you as soon as he’s ready for visitors.”
He walked back through the double doors.
Evelyn sat down and did not move.
“Evelyn.” Zara’s voice sounded, she went to get coffee for both of them.
“Talk to me.”
”I’m fine.”
”He’s going to be okay,” Zara said.
“You don’t know that.”
”No.
But I know Leon.
And that boy is too stubborn to let a hospital win.” She reached over and gave Evelyn the coffee.
Evelyn took it without arguing.
Daniel arrived later, his coat still on and his hair slightly disordered, like he had left wherever he was the moment Evelyn called.
He saw Evelyn from across the corridor and walked straight to her, and she stood up without thinking and he put his arms around her and she let him.
She did not cry.
But she pressed her face briefly into his shoulder and breathed, one real breath.
“How is he?” Daniel said into her hair.
“Stable.
Resting.
They’re running more tests.”
”Okay.” He pulled back and looked at her face, hands on her shoulders.
“Okay.
And you?”
”I’m fine.”
”Evelyn–”
”I’m fine, Daniel.
I just need him to be okay.”
He looked at her for a moment.
He knew better than to argue with that face.
He nodded and sat down beside her and took her hand and did not let go.
It wasn’t even up to 15 mins when Evelyn heard his voice before she saw him.
Aidan.
He was here.
Evelyn didn’t want to believe it was him.
But she looked up, and he was there, with his assistant, Priya.
His face was tight and controlled but his eyes moved immediately to her — scanning, and assessing her face to make sure she’s fine.
Daniel stood up too.
He looked at Aidan.
Then at Evelyn.
Then back at Aidan.
Something shifted in his expression.
“Evelyn.” His voice was low and out of breath.
“I followed —”
”I didn’t ask you to come,” she cut him off.
“I know.”
”This is not your concern.You need to leave.”
”I care about you.”
”You don’t get to do that.” she said quietly.
“Stay away from me.”
Aidan held her gaze.
He did not back away.
But he also did not push.
“How is he?” he asked.
Daniel stepped forward.
“I think it’s best if you leave,” Daniel said.
Not aggressively.
Just plainly.
“She clearly doesn’t want you here.
This isn’t the time or the place.”
Aidan looked at Evelyn.
“Evelyn —”
”He’s right,” she said.
“Please go.”
Something crossed Aidan’s face.
Jealousy?
“Sir.” His assistant next to him, tapped his arm once.
“Let’s go.
This isn’t the place.”
He turned and walked away.
Evelyn watched until they turned the corner, then she sat back down.
Daniel sat beside her and took her hand again without a word.
She let him.
*****
In the elevator going down, Aidan said nothing.
Priya stood beside him and said nothing either, which was one of the things he had always valued about her.
The doors opened at the ground floor and his phone buzzed.
He looked at the screen.
Jane.
He answered.
“Where are you?” Her voice was bright and sharp at the same time, the way it always was when she was performing relaxed.
“I’ve been calling for hours.”
”I’ve been busy.”
”Busy.” She laughed.
“You’re in Milan closing a stupid deal.
How busy can you possibly be?
Come on, tell me you’re at least eating well—”
”A stupid deal?
Jane.” He cut across her.
” You know what?
This isn’t a good time to argue with you.”
”What’s wrong with you?”
”Nothing.
I said it’s not a good time.”
”You’ve been gone for almost 3 days.
Three days, Aidan, and I’ve had exactly two texts from you.
I’m your wife.
I think I deserve more than —”
”I’m in the middle of something, Jane.
Respect that.”
“This is exactly what I always talk about.
You disappear into work and I’m just supposed to sit at home and wait and smile and be grateful you remembered to text at all —”
”Jane.” His voice came out harder than he intended.
“I am standing outside a hospital right now.
Whatever you want to argue about can wait till I get to my hotel room.”
Silence.
“A hospital?” Her voice shifted.”Why are you at a hospital?
Baby, are you hurt?”
His eyes rolled at her fake concern.
“No, It’s not me.”
”Then who —”
”It doesn’t matter.” He pressed two fingers to his temple.
“I’ll call you tonight.”
”Aidan, you can’t just —”
”Jane.” He stopped walking.
His voice went very quiet.
“A little boy is sick and I can’t do anything about it, and you’re calling me to complain about whatever this is.” He paused.
“Do you understand how that sounds to me right now?”
A long silence.
“A little boy,” she said slowly.
“What boy, Aidan?”
”It doesn’t matter.”
”It clearly does.
You just said —”
”Stop.
I’m really tired” He exhaled.
“You are just being inconsiderate and you don’t even realise it.
That is the problem with you.
Every time something serious happens you make it about yourself.
Every single time.”
His voice dropped.
“Marrying you was the….” He whispered.
He wanted to say ‘second worst decision he ever made’.
But instead, he said “….I’ll talk to you when I’m rested.”
He ended the call.
********
Inside the first class cabin of a flight to Milan, a woman sat very still and stared at her phone screen.
The call had ended.
Jane Smith did not move for a moment.
Her manicured fingers were wrapped around the phone.
Her face wore the smooth, pleasant expression she kept on in public like a second skin.
But behind her eyes, something was moving fast.
A little boy.
What little boy?
In Milan?
Who does her husband know personally in Milan to be so concerned about?
She thought about the name her investigator had mentioned last week when she had asked — very casually, about the Milan business deal.
The one Aidan had flown out personally to close.
Evelyn Cole was the name of the person that owned the company.
Jane turned the name over slowly.
“Ugh, Evelyn.
I’ve never liked that name, Evelyn.”
A flight attendant appeared.
“Mrs.
Smith, we’ll be landing in Milan in approximately forty minutes.
Can I get you anything?”
Jane looked up and smiled, warm and easy and completely empty.
“Just water, thank you.”
Jane looked back out the window.
She had not kept her place in his life for six years by letting things go uninvestigated.
Forty minutes.
She crossed her legs, smoothed her dress, and smiled at nothing in particular.
She had time to think.