Page 123 of Heart of The Night

‘Oliver Seymour,’ Andy interjected. ‘Francesca’s boyfriend – or ex.’

I faced him, seeing his heavy nod and the fury swirling in his eyes.

‘Do you think Will knew about them?’ I asked.

He frowned, his jaw tensing. ‘Absolutely not.’

‘I met him earlier – at the gala,’ I murmured. ‘He and Will seemed to be on friendly terms.’

‘You spoke with him?’ Jason’s voice cracked with disbelief.

I averted my eyes, my gaze falling to my lap. ’We both did, briefly. Will mentioned knowing him from his Cambridge days, but it seemed like they were just acquaintances.’

‘Will and I studied at Cambridge together, and I never met Oliver,’ Andy said, rubbing his hands together between his knees. His expression turned thoughtful, his brow creasing. ‘Will must have met him via Kate,’ he murmured. ‘Kate and Francesca were best friends back then, and Francesca was with Oliver at the time.’

‘I see,’ I whispered, barely audible, and rested my head on Jason’s shoulder.

We turned quiet after that. Jason’s familiar scent enveloped me, a comforting presence amidst the chaos. I hoped my presence was as reassuring to him.

William was the love of my life, but at that moment, my heart ached for Jason and his parents. John and Daphné had watched their son grow from an infant into the accomplished man he was now. To face the prospect of losing him… I had always believed that losing a child was the deepest grief one could endure. And for Jason, the potential loss of his brother – his role model and best friend – it had to be crushing. My sympathy for their anguish was boundless; such a devastating possibility was more than any family should ever have to endure.

As we sat there, waiting for more information, my heart throbbed painfully. I shut my eyes, silently praying again, pleading with God to let William pull through, to give me a chance to rectify my mistakes.

He doesn’t even know that I love him, I thought in despair. Dear God, please let him wake up. I need him to know that I love him, that I’ll never stop. I’ve learned my lesson now. I’ll never take our time together for granted again. Just please, let him wake up.

Time seemed to stretch and bend until finally, Daphné and John returned.

Jason looked at them, his eyes wide with questions. ‘Well?’

‘We’ll talk about it later,’ John said. ‘Now’s not the time.’

Jason nodded understandingly, his gaze drifting toward the detectives as they headed for the hospital exit. ‘Where are they off to now?’ he asked.

John glanced at me. ‘To another witness.’

Probably Francesca, I thought bitterly.

John and Daphné settled into the seats opposite us, their hands linked in silent support. My eyes drifted to the clock on the wall. We had been in this sterile waiting room for hours, yet there was still no word on William’s condition.

Time crawled by until I noticed a female doctor entering through the doors leading to the major trauma centre. I had seen her earlier, when I arrived at the hospital with the ambulance crew. She approached the reception desk with purpose, speaking briefly with the receptionist before turning to address the room.

‘Daphné Night?’ she called out.

Daphné rose tentatively, her light-blue eyes flickering with the first signs of hope I had seen in hours. My heart ached for her; the weight of her fear was palpable.

‘Yes?’ Her voice was fragile, unsteady.

The doctor approached, her narrow face marked with dark circles of fatigue around her eyes. Her brown skin glimmered under the harsh fluorescent lights. ‘I’m Dr Jacintha Patel,’ she introduced herself, extending a hand to Daphné. ‘I oversee your son’s care. He’s just woken up.’

28 | when I look at you

CARA

A collective sigh of relief swept through us. I felt as if I were floating, the immense burden that had been pressing on my chest suddenly lifted. Overwhelmed with joy, tears streamed anew down my cheeks.

He was awake. William was awake.

‘Oh, thank God,’ Daphné said, her voice trembling with emotion. ‘How is he?’

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