[Parking Lot—Outside the hospital]
The sliding doors hissed shut behind him, cutting off the gentle hum of hospital machines.
Jack kept walking.
His pace was relaxed, shoulders were loose and his expression perfectly neutral. He had the same polite mask he had worn inside, the same mask that made everyone blink twice.
Calling Alexander 'Big bro', a gentle hug to Pauline, a respectful smile at Evelyn and a bouquet in Margaret's favorite color—he had played the role beautifully.
But the moment he reached his car and the tinted windows hid him from the world, the façade cracked like cheap glass.
Jack slammed the door shut and then he exhaled—slow and dangerous.
His smile, the pleasant, charming one he gave his grandmother, melted into something sharp and twisted.
His jaw clenched and he gripped the steering wheel until the leather groaned.
"Big bro," he mocked in a low whisper and let out a humorless laugh.
"Oh, Alexander, you really think you have won, don't you?"
