When morning came, it didn't look like morning.
There were no windows in the room they put her in. No natural light. Just a soft white glow that clicked on at exactly 7 a.m., as if pretending she had a choice in when to wake.
She hadn't slept. Again.
But this time, it wasn't just guilt that kept her up.
It was the phone.
She stared at it where she'd hidden it—inside the lining of the extra pillow. She hadn't turned it on. Hadn't touched it. But it sat there like a live wire.
She didn't even know his name.
And somehow, that made her trust him more.
⸻
They let her see Seyi again.
Only after she asked.
Only after she screamed.
The hallway leading to the medical wing was a maze of glass walls and too-white lights. A woman in scrubs met her at the door. No name badge. No greeting. Just a silent nod toward the room at the end of the corridor.
She walked in.
Seyi looked… smaller.
The machines beeped soft and steady. Her eyes fluttered, moving under closed lids. She hadn't woken, but the tremble in her fingers gave Kelechi hope—and grief.
Because she'd seen patients like this before.
In limbo.
They could wake up one day and remember everything.
Or wake up and never come back at all.
Kelechi sat beside her, took her hand, and whispered.
"You didn't sign up for this," she said softly. "You were just trying to take care of me. Be the strong one. Smile when things got hard."
Her voice cracked.
"I'm sorry, Seyi."
A door creaked behind her.
She stood immediately, wiping her face.
It was the suit again.
"You've had enough time," he said. "Come."
She didn't move. "I want to know the truth. About what's wrong with her."
"You saw the scan—"
"Not the scan. The cause."
His eyes flickered. "You won't like the answer."
"Tell me anyway."
He studied her. And then, quietly, cruelly:
"She was targeted. You just weren't supposed to know."
Kelechi froze.
"What?"
"Something was slipped into her drink three nights ago. Something slow. A neurotoxin—undetectable if you don't know what to look for. It attacks soft tissue. She wouldn't have died immediately. She would've just started… failing. One system at a time."
Her hands shook. "Why?"
He stepped closer.
"To punish you."