Unwanted Blood (Harper) novel Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Harper’s POV

I woke up before the alarm. The room was still grey with early light.

I reached for my phone on the nightstand, and the first thing I saw was a new message from an unknown number.

I opened it. It was a screenshot of a formal notice, stamped with the letterhead of an independent psychological evaluation agency contracted by the investigative division. My name was typed clearly in the recipient field. The appointment was scheduled for two o’clock this afternoon.

Dylan’s request had gone through.

I stared at the screen for a few seconds. Then I flipped the phone face-down on the pillow.

I told myself I wouldn’t let it get to me. I was past all that. But under the blanket, my hands were shaking that I couldn’t stop.

I closed my eyes. Took a slow breath. Then another. When I opened them again, I pushed the blanket back and sat up.

It was just an evaluation. It had nothing to do with the past. I was fine now. My illness was cured.

I repeated it to myself like a mantra. It helped-enough to get me out of bed.

At breakfast, I told everyone about the notice.

Ryder was the first to set his chopsticks down. “I’ll go with you.”

“Me too.” Colton added immediately.

Adrian didn’t say anything right away. He just looked at me across the table.

I shook my head. “Not so many people. If you all come, it’ll look like I’m nervous.” I paused. “I can handle it on my own.”

Ryder’s expression made it clear he disagreed. His jaw tightened.

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Chapter 88

Before he could push, Adrian spoke.

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“I’ll drive you I’m free today anyway.” He paused. “If you go alone and they ask you about my testimony, you won’t be able to answer those questions on the spot. You’ll need someone nearby who knows the details of the case.”

That was fair. The evaluation would inevitably touch on the Westbrook family-and Dylan Having someone who knew the case close by made sense.

Ryder stared at Adrian for several seconds. He didn’t look happy about it, but he didn’t object. Finally, he said: “I’ll stay on standby nearby. Text me when it’s done.”

I nodded.

The drive from the safe house to the evaluation agency took about twenty minutes.

It was the first time I’d been alone in a car with Adrian. Before, there’d always been a driver, or someone in the back seat. Somehow, we became closer.

I stared out the window. The morning light filtered through the glass, warm on my face.

After a while, Adrian’s voice broke the silence. “Nervous?”

“A little,” I said. I didn’t try to pretend otherwise.

He glanced at me. Then, quietly: “I’m here.”

It was such a simple sentence. Three words. But something in my chest loosened a fraction. I smiled.

The car turned into a narrow street lined with trees. At the end of it was a glass-fronted building, nothing like a hospital. I watched the glass doors grow closer and took a deep breath.

The evaluation lasted nearly an hour.

The psychologist was a woman in her fifties, with a gentle voice and direct questions. She started with the basics-sleep, appetite, daily social interaction. I answered honestly. I’d been sleeping better. Eating regularly. Talking to Lily and Ethan, even arguing with Colton about whose turn it

was to use the kitchen.

Then, slowly, she steered the conversation toward the past.

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Chapter 88

“When you were living at home-did you ever hurt yourself?”

I was quiet for a few seconds. Then I nodded.

“Do you still think about it now?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Why not?”

I thought about it. The answer came out before I’d fully formed it in my head.

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“Because now, there are people in my life who notice whether I’ve eaten, whether I’ve slept. If I hurt myself, they’d worry.”

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