Chapter 6 6

The Mcconnell estate occupied five acres in Long Island's Gold Coast, a modernist fortress of glass and steel that Kevon had designed during their engagement. Karley had visited twice before the wedding, always with Kevon beside her, always with the comfort of knowing she could leave.

Now she stood in the entrance hall alone, listening to the door click shut behind the driver who had delivered her from the hospital.

"Welcome home, Mrs. Mcconnell."

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere, a pleasant female tone with the slight artificiality of advanced speech synthesis. Lights activated as Karley moved, sensors tracking her progress across the marble floor, illuminating her path with algorithmic precision.

She didn't feel welcomed. She felt observed.

Karley kicked off her shoes-hospital slippers, her wedding heels lost somewhere in the chaos-and walked barefoot to the living room. The space was forty feet long, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a manicured lawn that sloped down to a private beach. A painting dominated the far wall: the two of them, commissioned for the engagement, Kevon's arm possessive around her waist.

She looked at her painted smile and felt nothing.

Her phone buzzed. Siobhan, demanding updates, threatening to call the police if she didn't respond. Karley typed a lie with numb fingers: He's taking care of me. Everything's fine. I'll call tomorrow.

She turned the phone to silent and set it face-down on the coffee table.

The kitchen was spotless, the marble island bare except for a collection of bottles arranged in a neat row. Supplements, she realized. Iron, B12, folic acid, herbal extracts with labels in languages she couldn't read. A handwritten note in Kevon's precise script: For your recovery. Take as directed.

Karley opened the refrigerator. Organic juices, grass-fed beef, leafy greens in expensive packaging. Everything calculated to maximize her hemoglobin production.

She closed the door without taking anything.

The master bedroom was on the second floor, accessible by a floating staircase that Kevon had imported from Italy. The bed was made with red silk sheets, the traditional color for Chinese wedding nights, a detail that had seemed romantic when he'd explained it and now felt like a taunt.

Karley showered in the en-suite bathroom, standing under water hot enough to redden her skin, trying to wash away the smell of hospital antiseptic and her husband's desperation. She scrubbed until her arms ached, then stood in the steam and watched her reflection blur in the mirror.

When she emerged, wrapped in a robe that cost more than her monthly rent at her old apartment, the house was still empty.

She checked her phone. 11:47 PM. She checked Kevon's last message: Staying at hospital. Devora needs observation. Sleep well.

Karley lay on the red silk sheets and stared at the ceiling. The smart home system had dimmed the lights to a warm amber, simulating sunset, promoting circadian health. She could hear the distant hum of the HVAC system, the whisper of ocean through the open window, the absolute absence of another human being.

She thought about calling him. Dismissed the thought. Called anyway.

The phone rang four times. When he answered, his voice was thick with exhaustion and something else-irritation, maybe, at being interrupted.

"Karley. It's late."

"I know." She sat up, pulling her knees to her chest. "I just wanted to know when you're coming home. The house is so big, and I don't feel well, and-"

"Devora just fell asleep." His voice dropped to a whisper. "She's having nightmares. The accident, the blood. I can't leave her like this."

"But Kevon, it's our wedding night. We're married. Doesn't that-"

"She's my sister." The words came sharp as broken glass. "She was injured at our wedding. Because of us, our event, our-" He stopped. Took a breath. "Can you try to be less selfish? Just for tonight? She's the one suffering, Karley. Not you."

The line went dead.

Karley stared at the phone until the screen went dark. Then she threw it.

The device hit the wall with a crack that should have been satisfying. It fell behind the dresser, screen shattered, silent and useless as everything else in her life.

"Unusual noise detected," the smart home system announced. "Would you like to contact security?"

"Shut up," Karley whispered. "Just shut up."

The lights obeyed, plunging the room into darkness.

She lay back on the bed, shivering. The fever she'd been fighting since the transfusion spiked suddenly, her body finally surrendering to the trauma of blood loss and emotional shock. She was cold, then hot, then cold again, her teeth chattering against the silk pillowcase.

Somewhere in the darkness, her broken phone displayed a notification she would never see: Kevon Mcconnell has shared his location with you.

He was at Mount Sinai Hospital, four miles away.

He would stay there all night.

And Karley would lie alone in his smart house, burning with fever, and wonder if she'd made the worst mistake of her life.