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“You know why I’m here, Killer.”

“Don’t call me that,” she snaps.

“Oli—”

“No. I need you to leave.”

“I can’t do that.” I shake my head. Fuck, it’s dry as fuck in here; my eyes are prickling.

“Why not?” She throws her hands up, her voice rising. The four other people waiting are staring now. Their eyes are on me, trying to work out what’s causing the commotion.

“Because I love you, and whether you like it or not, you need me right now. I’m not leaving you. I promised you I wouldn’t leave you. Do you remember?”

The nurse puts her hand on her chest, her head tilting slightly.

Olivia shakes her head, and her whole body moves away from me. I’m losing her. I can feel her slipping through my fingers like sand, and the harder I try to grip, the quicker she’s falling through my fingers.

“You made a lot of promises, Austin, none of which you can be trusted to keep.” The tears fall again, and I can’t say which is worse to endure, her tears or her anger.

She turns back to the nurse. “How much did he pay you? I want a record.”

The nurse glances at me again, but there’s sympathy in her eyes this time.

“Don’t look at him. Look at me. He’smybrother. I don’t want that man anywhere near him or paying for anything else. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, miss. I’ll have it noted on your brother’s record. I’ll print the invoice that was paid for you now.”

I’m surprised she’s so accommodating, but maybe she’s a sucker for Olivia’s tears too. She hands her the piece of paper,and Olivia scans down to the fee. Her head snaps back to mine.Yeah, baby. Paid up.The American healthcare system is fucked. But I have the money, and there’s nothing I’d rather spend it on right now. I want Danny back to full health as soon as possible, not just for him, but for her—and selfishly, for me. If he doesn’t get better...Fuck, if he dies, then all hope for me and Olivia dies with him.

All that work with Alfie, years of unlearning the things that had been ingrained in me, and I’m still the selfish prick I’ve always been. It’s always about what I can get out of a situation. The realization hits me like the lasers Olivia is trying to blast out of her eyes right now. I’m sure she’d split my skull in two if she could.

“I don’t know what happened. But I’m finding out. My best people are on it.”

She shakes her head, crumpling the invoice in her clenched fist.

“It’s done, Austin. There’s nothing you can do that will fix this. We’re done.”

“No.” I shake my head, swallowing hard. “We’re not done. This...it’s fixable, I'm going to fix this.”

She strides toward me, her finger jutting into my chest. The masochist in me is just happy she’s touching me.

“Do you have a time machine? No, you don’t. You can’t fix this, you’re fucking delusional, and I’m...I’m just an idiot who believed you were redeemable.”

I recoil. Bile stings up my throat, threatening to spill into my mouth. All this time. All this time I’ve spent with Alfie. Making better choices, building, rebuilding, rebuilding again. Over and over. The time, the effort, the energy. It’s been for nothing. She’s gone. Her eyes are dead when they look at me. And I can’t even be mad about it. She’s right. I’m disgusting. I don’t deserve to be anywhere near her, let alone begging for her forgiveness.

Her cheeks are wet, her eyes puffy, her lips part in shock at what she’s just said.

“Austin . . .”

I cut her off before she backtracks because she’s right. “There’s no redemption for me, Olivia. I know what I am. I’m the villain. I’ll always be the villain.”

I step back.

“Austin, no. Wait . . .”

I turn and walk out of the waiting room.

I have to accept who I am.