Herwyer leaned in and whispered something in her ear. She stayed calm, closing her eyes for a moment. She was leaving everything in his hands. ra was being held temporarily, but she knew if herwyer found a loophole, she''d be out soon.


    She thought she''d be stuck there for at least three days, but just a few hourster, someone came by to give her the news. "ra, you''re free to go."


    Still a bit confused, ra walked to the police station''s entrance and saw thewyer she''d hired. She assumed he had worked some magic to get her out so quickly. "Thank you. I thought I''d be in there forever."


    Thewyer shook his head. "Ms. ra, I didn''t do anything. Maybe someone else is looking out for you."


    Someone else? She couldn''t figure out who it might be, so she thanked thewyer again and headed home in a cab.


    When she got to her apartment building, Simon was waiting outside. His eyes brightened as he pointed to her car. "I got them to hustle on the repairs. Figured it''d be a hassle for you without it."


    ra gave a small smile. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."


    Noticing the red mark on her cheek, Simon reached out gently. "Who hit you?"


    He seemed totally in the dark about what had happened. ra just shook her head, her voice a little raspy. "I''m exhausted. I''m going to head in. Thanks for sorting the car."


    "Have you talked to your boyfriend about any of this? It''s not good to bottle it up. Even if he can''t fix it, he can at least be there for you."


    ra stopped for a moment, not used to sharing her messy life with Z. "Simon, I''ll head up now."


    Simon stood there as darkness settled in, his face shadowed but his gesture soft. "Okay, take care."


    Upstairs, ra felt drained, her head pounding. She poured herself a warm ss of water, standing by the window, and noticed snowkes starting to fall.


    It was the first snow of the year, which exined the chill on her way back. Just as she was about to drink, her phone buzzed-it was Aiden.


    She really didn''t feel like talking, especially about anything involving Dn, which would just remind her of Eden. The phone kept ringing, so she turned it off, opting for a hot shower instead.


    Almost asleep, the doorbell startled her. She opened the door to find Z''s doctor friend standing there.


    "Ms. ra, Z''s not doing well tonight. If you have time, could youe with me to see him?"


    She quickly turned her phone back on, realizing she''d missed several messages from Z. He''d been checking in, but hadn''t mentioned being sick.


    "Is he really sick?"


    She changed quickly, feeling uneasy as she stepped into the snowy night. "What kind of illness? Is it serious?"


    Driving, the doctor sighed. "It''s treatable if he cooperates, but you''ve seen his ce. How can he get better living there?"