Chapter 12

Meanwhile, Julian wasn't doing any better. Ever since Wendy had left, nightmares had been tormenting him. The image of Bianca jumping down the stairs with that twisted smile, framing Wendy, recurred in his dreams. One night, he woke up with a throat so dry it felt like sandpaper and a pounding, foggy head. He'd clearly caught a cold. Unfortunately, the housekeeper was on leave for the past two days. Julian had initially thought he could handle a couple of days on his own. After all, Wendy had always been there to take care of him whenever he was feeling unwell. But now, the person who'd taken care of his every need was gone. Julian walked into the living room barefoot. The house felt empty and silent, except for the wind howling outside the windows. Suddenly, a strange, unfamiliar loneliness rose from deep inside him. Julian rummaged through the medicine cabinet and swallowed some pills from the first box he found—without noticing the expiry date. By evening, his fever had