Elizabeth's POV
As the Murphy family filed out of Anna's hospital room, I noticed Jack Simpson lingering behind. He'd been so quiet throughout the visit that his presence had been almost forgotten.
Looking at him now, all the rage I felt toward Mary Simpson bubbled up again, burning through my chest like acid.
"You should leave too," I said, my voice sharper than I'd ever heard it.
"Annie needs rest."
My feelings toward this former son-in- law were painfully complex. Jack himself wasn't evil—just a man who hadn't loved my daughter enough. But his mother? My fingers curled into fists at the mere thought of her.
"I wanted to apologize on behalf of my mother," Jack said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Something inside me snapped. The words erupted before I could temper them.
"Your apology means nothing. Even if she knelt before us and begged forgiveness, it wouldn't matter." My voice trembled with unleashed fury.
