Chapter 135: The Clinic Gatekeeper

Aveline's POV

"If she knows about you and Asher, everything ends," Kieran said quietly.

My hand tightened around the white envelope resting on my lap. Through the windshield, the lights of the clinic glowed behind the falling snow. I forced myself to breathe.

"She can't," I whispered. "She mustn't."

Kieran did not answer. Neither of us moved. I adjusted my jacket, making sure the binders beneath it stayed hidden. Then I straightened my shoulders. For the next few minutes, i will need to become Asher perfectly.

We stepped out of the truck and walked inside. The clinic waiting room was dead silent. A receptionist spoke on the phone in a low voice, barely looking up as we walked inside. My heart hammered against my ribs as an inner office door clicked open.

A middle-aged woman with sharp grey eyes and a long black coat stepped into the hallway. She held a thick medical folder, her face expressionless.

"Asher?" Dr. Vincent asked, her eyes fixing straight onto my face.

I forced my voice to drop into my brother’s deep, steady tone. "Yes, Dr. Vincent. I need to speak with you about my mother."

The therapist blinked, looking cautious. She glanced at Kieran, then back at me. She did not offer a warm greeting. "I was told Evelyn was moved to a new hospital ward last night. Why are you here instead of her? Did something happen to her condition?"

"She is stable, but she is still sedated," I lied flatly, trying to keep my hands from shaking. "The doctors are watching her heart. I came because I found something before she was moved."

Dr. Vincent hesitated, then stepped back into her office. "Come inside. Your friend can wait out here, or he can join us if it helps you stay calm."

"He stays," I said. Kieran followed me into the room, shutting the door behind us.

The office was dim, Dr. Vincent sat behind a large desk but did not open her folder. She leaned back, her hands laced together as she studied my face with an intense, quiet scrutiny.

"How is Evelyn really doing, Asher?" she asked, her voice low and careful. "You look exhausted. Your mother has been carrying a terrible amount of stress, and I know it affects you too."

The questions felt like a trap, making my throat go completely dry. I could not let her probe too deep into my act. Before she could ask anything else, I reached into my coat, pulled out the thick white envelope, and placed it directly onto the center of the desk.

Dr. Vincent looked down at the paper. The moment her eyes locked onto the sharp, messy handwriting of her own name, her entire expression changed. The cautious calm vanished from her face. Her posture went rigid, and her fingers twitched against her desk.

She looked up at me, her eyes wider now. "Before I answer a single question... tell me exactly where you found this."

"It fell out of a hidden pocket in her handbag when the nurses were moving her bed," I said, keeping my tone flat and broad. "I opened it. It is full of numbers, bank routing codes, and a cleared payment receipt for my entire intensive care bill. Our family savings were completely emptied months ago. We never had that kind of cash."

I leaned forward, searching her face for an answer. "Who paid that debt, Dr. Vincent? Why was my mother bringing this master ledger to you?"

The therapist stared at the envelope, her face turning pale under the office lights. She reached out, her hand slightly trembling as she slid the paper across the wood and locked it inside her top desk drawer.

"There are things I cannot tell you, Asher," Dr. Vincent said, her voice dropping into a tight, sharp whisper. "Those records belong to your mother's private files. I am not permitted to discuss her finances with anyone, including her children."

"Then why was your name on the envelope?" I asked.

"Why was she bringing these papers to you?"

"Listen to me very closely," Dr. Vincent interrupted, leaning across the desk until her face was inches from mine. Her voice was pure stone. "Your mother's emotional condition is extremely fragile. Any sudden shock or major change could undo months of progress. Right now, she needs stability. She needs to believe the life she has been holding onto hasn't fallen apart."

She stood up from her chair, her eyes cold as she looked toward the door. "Go back home, keep your head down, and keep doing your job as her son Aveline. Do not dig into things that do not concern you."

The door of the clinic clicked shut behind us,

The freezing winter wind hit my face hard, as we walked back onto the empty sidewalk.

"She addressed the envelope to Dr. Vincent," Kieran said quietly. "That means your mother wanted her to see whatever was inside. We just don't know why."

I tightened my grip on my coat. "Which means Mom wasn't hiding random papers." And Dr Vincent knows about Asher as well why continue the charade calling me Asher

"Maybe she is doing it because your mother asked," Kieran murmured.

"Then why hide it?" I whispered. "Why not explain it clearly to us?"

I looked back at the clinic one last time. Behind one of those windows sat the only woman who knew why my mother had hidden that envelope. And instead of giving us answers, she had decided to protect it.