way outside the conference center. The shouts and clamor faded behind me, replaced

him. I ignored it. It buzzed again. And agai

tepping out into the cool city air. For a moment, I just st

. The screen was filled with m

ou? Get bac

d everything, Evelyn.

, apologize to the press, and f

fe, those words would have been a death sentence. Now,

o

ed his

rch lab, a small, independent facility I had maintained with my own

from a news app. The headline was already up: VACCINE SHOCKER: DR.

ed, was splashed across the screen. Below it was a ph

out. There was

message came through. It was from an unknown n

conversation between her and

ing to ruin us, M

ving an emotional breakdown. I' ll

enshot was a messag

ing this, but I know you must be in a lot of pain. Mark

fe, positioning herself as the calm, reasonable one, the one Mark could rely on. She

text came through, this time from Mark

n here, Evelyn, unlike you. She feels terrible about how you' ve been acting,

, he still didn't get it. He was so blinded by his own arrogance, so easily manipulated by Alana' s sycophantic act, that

e love I once felt for him, died in that moment. It turned t

ned my head back against the cab' s worn seat, and watched the