The Weight of His Absence

Valerie’s POV

To my surprise, Darius did not intrude in the car I had chosen. Nor, it seemed, did he follow us to the hospital for my exam. Even after he chose to ride in a second car, I thought he still might meet us at the hospital. Even after I’d arrived, as Nyssa and I walked through the hallways toward my exam room, I half expected him to pop out of somewhere and just be there.

His absence wa