The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 537

As dawn broke, he shut his laptop and walked to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face.

The man staring back at him in the mirror had bloodshot eyes and a layer of dark stubble lining his jaw. His cheekbones looked even sharper than when he was hospitalized. The meager weight he had managed to put back on over the last month seemed to have vanished overnight.

He changed into a crisp shirt, clumsily buttoning it with his right hand. The cast on his left wrist was gone, replaced by a lightweight brace, but he still couldn't exert much force with those fingers.

He sat on the living room sofa and scrolled through his contacts for a long time.

Up and down, over and over, until only two names remained relevant—Lawrence Sterling and Vanessa Vaughan.

His mentor, and his colleague.

He dialed Vanessa's number. It rang a few times before connecting.

"Vanessa, it's been a while," Garrison said, his voice raspy from a sleepless night.

"What do you mean 'it's been a while'? We literally just saw each other last week. You must be sleep-deprived, Garrison," Vanessa replied, maintaining her usual breezy, teasing tone.

"It's me... my head is a mess."

"What happened?"

"Does Professor Sterling have time today? I have something... I need to discuss with him in person." Garrison cut straight to the chase.

Vanessa fell silent for a couple of seconds.

"Sorry, he's actually out of town for a conference the next two days. If it's urgent, you can tell me and I'll pass the message along."

Garrison paused.

He didn't really want to go through Vanessa. This matter was too massive, too personal; he needed to speak with his mentor directly. But time wasn't on his side. He couldn't afford to wait for Lawrence to return from his conference, nor could he endure a game of telephone. Every extra day Vivienne spent behind bars was another day of sheer agony for him.

He closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and finally gave in.