Page 123 of The Broken Keys

“Tampons.” I slam the drawer shut. “I can’t find any.”

His expression shifts. Something tense crosses his face before he scales it back to neutral. “You don’t have any up here.”

“Then where are they?” The cramping intensifies, and I press my hand to my lower abdomen. “Because I need them.”

“You started bleeding again?”

“Yes. Isn’t that weird?”

“Not really.”

“What? Why would you say that?”

“The hospital sent some supplies home.” He gestures to the hallway, completely bypassing my question. “Pads. They’re in the downstairs bathroom. I’ll go get them.”

“Pads?” I lean against the counter. “I get that’s what they had me use while I was in the hospital, but why would they send those home with me?”

He’s already moving toward the door. “Just give me a second.”

“Callum—”

“I’ll be right back.” He disappears before I can press further.

When he returns, he’s carrying a package of overnight pads. The heavy-duty kind. Way more absorbent than I’d normally need.

“Here.” He hands them to me. “Take your time. I’ll wait outside.”

“Wait.” I grab his wrist before he can leave. “Why did the hospital send these home with me?”

“Um…” His face turns red. “These were left over from the package you were using while you were there.”

“Okay.” I release his arm. “I wonder why I started again. Doesn’t that seem odd?”

“Not really.” He won’t meet my gaze. “You have a lot of trauma to your pelvic region. The doctor said it’s normal.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” He runs his hand over his neck, peeking out into the bedroom. “It’s not unusual for things to be irregular.”

The explanation sounds reasonable, but something about it feels wrong. The way he’s avoiding eye contact, how his shoulders are rigid with tension, and the careful way he’s choosing his words.

“Are you sure that’s all it is?” I study his face. “Because you’re acting weird.”

“You’re reading into things, Lily. I’m just concerned about you.”

“Then why won’t you look at me?”

His eyes finally meet mine and he shrugs.

“Is there something I should know?”

He reaches out, cupping my face. “Your body’s just recovering. Give yourself time to heal.”

“Is that really all this is about?”

“You went through a massive traumatic event. I’m just worried about you, and that’s all there is to it.”

“Okay. If you say so. Can you just give me a minute?”