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The nurse paused before answering. “He returned to Los Angeles this morning.”

I didn’t know why hearing that bothered me, so I ignored the feeling.

“Oh.”

“You’re going to be resting a lot. That’s normal. Your body needs time.”

“Great.”

“We’ll bring you some broth in an hour. Tell me what flavor you prefer.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“We’ll bring it anyway.”

“What happens if I don’t eat?”

She looked directly at me. “Then we try again later, but you need nutrition. We prefer that you eat on your own so we don’t have to intervene medically.”

I knew exactly what intervene meant.

“Fine. Chicken broth.”

She nodded, placed the remote near me, and left the room.

I turned on the television because listening to myself breathe was getting on my nerves. Devil in a Blue Dress was playing, so I left it there and eventually drifted back to sleep.

That became my routine for the next couple of days. I woke up, ate whatever fresh fruit or food they brought me, took my medication, and went back to sleep. Every time I opened my eyes, somebody was checking my vitals or giving me vitamins. Warm tea replaced alcohol, and once a day, a nurse walked outside with me while staying close enough to catch me if my legs gave out.

It was repetitive, safe, and weird as hell.

When you lived in chaos long enough, safety didn’t feel real. My brain kept searching for something wrong because there had to be something. I kept wondering why they really brought me there, why Ares thought he could control me, and why my family waited until now to tell me who the hell I really was.

The longer I stayed, the harder it became to ignore one thing.

Nobody was hurting me.

Nobody was yelling at me or trying to scare me into getting clean. They gave me what I needed and waited for my body to catch up. Somehow, being given time to get myself together messed with my head more than chaos ever did.

By the fourth day, my hands were steady enough to hold a pencil again. I sat upright in bed with my sketchbook on my lap and my robe tied around me. My hair was clean and wet, and I finally had enough strength to sit there without feeling like I was going to pass out.

I started drawing the room. First came the curve of the chair, then the tall windows and one of the plainclothes security guards walking through the garden outside.

Drawing had always slowed my brain down because it forced me to pay attention. I had to study shapes, angles, shadows, and all the small details most people missed.

I liked studying things.

I liked studying people even more, especially when I thought they might be a threat to me.

Someone started entering the code outside my door.

I knew it wasn’t my nurse before the door opened.

Genevieve stepped inside wearing an elegant coat, a silk scarf, and jewelry that probably cost more than everything I had sold before coming here. I knew who she was from the meeting. She was Ares’ mother, but before all of this, I had never spent any real time around her.

The money wasn’t what caught my attention.

It was the way she carried herself.