Sign the Papers Mr. Langford novel Chapter 461

By the time Daisy reached her third draft of the supplementary opinion, she finally snapped her laptop shut.

She was sitting in the lounge of the hospital's rehabilitation wing. The sky outside was an overcast, ashen gray. Wheelchairs occasionally rolled down the hallway, the rubber tires pressing against the linoleum with a sound as soft as paper tearing.

When the screen went black, she caught her reflection.

She looked pale.

Dark circles shadowed her under-eyes.

She hadn't slept well in days.

Ever since the anonymous email dragged her, Julian, and Wren into the same mess, the internet hadn't explicitly plastered her name everywhere. But anyone familiar with Stellaris instantly knew who "a certain doctor's sister" and "the patient consultant" referred to.

Some claimed she was just a convenient patient prop Wren used to boost the project's credibility.

Others said she was a nepotism hire Julian shoved into Stellaris to help Wren out.

And then there were those who argued the entire concept of a "patient consultant" was just manufactured corporate empathy.

None of those words directly insulted her.

But every single sentence shoved her right back into the box labeled "someone to be used."

Daisy looked down at her right leg.

Whenever the weather changed, the old injury ached with a dull, throbbing burn. She used to despise the sensation because it was a constant reminder that parts of her body would never return to what they once were.

Over time, she had learned to live with it.

When it hurt, she paused.

When it ached, she walked a little less.

She no longer viewed every twinge of discomfort as a personal failure.

But now, she realized that other people's assumptions were far harder to manage than her own body.

They didn't know her.

Yet they hid behind their screens, declaring her a tool, a statistical sample, a piece of evidence in Wren and Julian's relationship.

Her phone buzzed.

It was a voice note from Leo, forwarded through Wren's phone.

The little boy's voice was small, but remarkably earnest.

"Daisy, Mommy said you're really busy. This drawing is for you. It's okay to be angry and still continue. But if you're really tired, you can pause, too."

Below the audio file was a photo Wren had taken.

Two pause buttons.

A small winding path.