Page 121 of My Husband’s New Fiancée

Then I remember the men’s shoes.

Louane watches my silence without taking offense.

“I’m not trying to uncover your secrets,” she adds more gently. “But if you need help... I’m here.”

The simplicity of the offer catches me off guard.

Then again, Bianca had seemed concerned too.

I study her for a little too long, searching for an inconsistency. A hesitation. Anything that might betray a lie.

I find nothing.

Which proves absolutely nothing.

But I need allies.

And maybe learning to trust people again is one of the things I need to relearn.

“What’s on your schedule today?”

“Reports. Testing. Administrative work. Nothing urgent.”

I make my decision before I can change my mind.

“Then come with me.”

*

The air inside the lab is colder than the rest of the building.

A faint scent of ethanol and sterile plastic lingers in the room.

The LED panels cast a clinical white light that erases every shadow.

Everything is perfectly organized.

Black lab benches.

Control screens.

Racks filled with transparent microtubes.

The constant hum of the ventilation hoods.

I pull two new lab coats from the cabinet.

The familiarity of these gestures feels strange.

Like rediscovering part of myself.

We slip on gloves while Louane disinfects the workstation.

At the back of the lab, behind a secured glass partition, the cryogenic unit glows with pale blue light.

I press my eye against the biometric scanner.

The lock releases with a dull click.