Vanessa sat at the side of the medical bed, hands folded tightly in her lap, staring at Adam as if he might dissolve if she blinked.
No matter how many times she replayed his explanation in her head, it still felt unreal.
An experimental monster.
A mind geist.
Mind control.
Every piece fit too cleanly to be a lie, and the state of her own fractured memories was proof enough.
She had felt that blankness and felt herself lose time. There was no denying it anymore.
Slowly, Vanessa lowered her head.
"I'm truly sorry for what I did."
Adam waved a hand dismissively.
"You don't need to blame yourself. There was no way to know something like that was down there. Don't beat yourself up over it."
His words were calm, even gentle, but they didn't seem to reach her.
Vanessa still looked troubled, her shoulders stiff, the guilt refusing to loosen its grip.
Adam watched her for a moment, then sighed.
"Why don't you make it up to me?"
Vanessa looked up.
