Chapter 217

Latisha quickly grabbed his phone and shook her head.

The doctor looked at her with exasperation. "Mrs. Lambert! This is your health! Don't you think you should stand up for yourself?"

She just kept shaking her head, and he couldn't understand what she was trying to convey. She gently pushed his phone down, and he seemed to get the message.

"You still don't want me to tell him?"

Latisha nodded, gesturing for him to put the phone away. After a long, conflicted moment, the doctor sighed in resignation. "Alright. If you insist, I won't say anything." Once he'd pocketed his phone, Latisha typed a message for him: [He didn't do this.] The doctor stared at the words, then gave an embarrassed laugh. "Oh, he didn't? Haha... I'm sorry."

"Well, let me change your dressing," he said, opening his bag. He treated the cuts on her face first. For her knees, Latisha, who was wearing a nightgown, simply lifted the hem.

"How did this happen?" the doctor asked, shocked at the sight of her injuries.

Latisha shook her head, indicating she didn't want to talk about it.

He didn't press further, carefully beginning to remove the gauze. The wound was severe, and in some places, her flesh had already fused with the dressing. "Good heavens, Mrs. Lambert, I can't change this. It will cause more damage. I'll just trim the old gauze and add a new layer on top. You'll have to wait for the scab to form and let it fall off on its own."

Latisha nodded, relieved. Just the snipping of the gauze had been painful, and his suggestion was a welcome one.

After he finished, he said, "I'll come back tomorrow to check on it. And please, don't get it wet."

She nodded and expressed her thanks.

Once the doctor left, she was alone again. She curled up on the sofa, scrolling through her phone. Nikita Stafford hadn't messaged her since their last encounter Latisha saw her profile picture and fought the urge to ask where she was. Instead, she opened Nikita's Instagram.

Nikita had posted frequently-beautiful landscapes and smiling selfies. And every

single post had the same caption: [For your eyes only.]

Reading those words, Latisha's eyes welled with tears. She clicked on a photo of Nikita at the beach, a flock of seagulls in the background, the wind tousling her short hair as she beamed at the camera.

Latisha gently traced Nikita's face on the screen. These photos were for her. Nikita

hadn't messaged her directly, but this felt even more intimate.

As she looked through the pictures, she felt a profound sense of connection.

Somewhere out in the world, someone was thinking of her. It made her feel like living was still worthwhile.

She went through and liked every single photo, her small response to Nikita's grand gesture.

Somewhere else in the world, Nikita

saw the notifications and smiled. Knowing the Stafford family was safe had allowed her to leave without guilt. Since Latisha wouldn't travel the world with her, she would bring the world to Latisha.

When Clifford returned, he found her staring at her phone, tears rolling down her cheeks. He stood in the entryway, watching her for a moment, unnoticed.

"Why didn't you lock the door?" his voice cut through the silence.

Startled, Latisha jumped, and the phone slipped from her grasp, clattering to the floor.