Annelise Valentine spent the next month in a hospital bed.
Spring arrived in Odenburg without a sound. Outside the window, tender green shoots sprouted from the branches, and the sunlight grew warmer each day, but for now, none of it had anything to do with her.
Her world was a cycle of blood draws, ultrasounds, injections, and medication, punctuated only by eating, using the restroom, and sleeping—an endless routine.
Director Anderson made his rounds three times a week. Each time, he would hold up a report, point at the data she couldn't understand, and say, "Progressing well."
Zane Patterson was with her at the hospital every day, though he would occasionally take some time during the day to work on the new house.
When he took over Madam Amy's house, it was covered in a thick layer of dust. There were even dead leaves on the kitchen counter that had blown in last autumn—dry and curled, they crumbled at the slightest touch.
