Chapter 166

The silence in the room was deafening.

Evangeline and Walter looked at each other, a million words hanging in the air, yet neither could find their voice.

Evangeline's mind buzzed with questions and her heart ached to offer comfort, but the words got stuck in her throat at the sight of Walter's ghostly pale face.

Walter had things on his mind too.

The thought of Evangeline rushing to the airport to pick up Alex, while he was stuck in surgery, left him at a loss for words.

The silence stretched on, an invisible barrier neither of them could break.

David, ever so thoughtful, lingered at the door, careful not to intrude, giving them the space they needed.

Silence had its own way of shattering, though.

With a grimace, Walter propped himself up, a sharp pain lancing through his abdomen.

"You..." Evangeline's words trailed off as she instinctively reached for a pillow and tucked it gently under Walter's back.

Catching his bewildered look, she mumbled an embarrassed explanation, "It