No one moved for several seconds after Ethan spoke. Vivian stood beside the treatment chair, one hand covering her mouth. Lucas recovered first.

"This room needs to be cleared," he said. "Now."

Ethan looked at him.

Lucas turned to the assistants. "Shut down the sy

Vivian moved Ethan back to the Hart clinic the next morning. This time, she did not strap him down. That told him his lie had worked. He ate when they brought food. Took the medication he knew was safe. Answered the psychiatrist's questions in short, empty sentenc

For two days, Ethan did not exist. He stayed in a storage room above an auto shop owned by Grace's brother-in-law, slept in short bursts, and watched the city decide he was dead. By the second night, the headlines had settled on one version: a mentally unstable