Read Chapter 16: — THE HAND IN THE DARK

The hotel held its annual staff retreat in the North York Moors.

One exercise required pairs to cross an obstacle path while one person wore a blindfold. No talking. Only touch.

Eleanor was paired with Adrian by accident or by a coordinator who enjoyed gossip.

When the blindfold covered her eyes, her first feeling was irritation.

Then fear.

The ground changed under her feet. Gravel, timber, a low step, open space.

Adrian took her hand.

He did not pull.

He gave pressure when she needed direction and stopped when she hesitated.

At one point she had to step down from a platform she could not see.

Her body froze.

Adrian's hand tightened once.

Trust me.

The phrase was not spoken, but she heard it anyway.

She stepped.

He caught her balance.

At the finish, Eleanor removed the blindfold and found him closer than expected.

Something moved through her—not the violent certainty she remembered from falling for Michael, but a quieter warmth.

That frightened her more.

That evening, a call came from York.

Jamie had been hit by a van while riding his motorbike.

The injuries were serious but not life-threatening: broken ribs, a fractured leg, concussion.

Eleanor went white.

Adrian drove her back without discussion.

At the hospital, family resentment vanished under fluorescent light.

Daniel arrived first. Arthur arrived angry at everybody, which was how he expressed terror. Caroline cried. Margaret held Jamie's hand.

When Jamie woke properly, he saw Arthur sitting beside the bed.

“Dad.”

Arthur looked at him.

Jamie knew then. Perhaps from Caroline's words. Perhaps from the way everybody had avoided the subject.

“Am I yours?” he asked.

Arthur's face folded.

“You are my son.”

“That's not what I asked.”

“No,” Arthur said. “It's the answer that matters.”

He told him the truth.

Jamie cried silently.

Then he reached for Arthur's hand.

“Still want to waste money on your theatre school?”

Arthur snorted. “Especially now.”

Jamie managed a weak smile.

“Then save me a chair.”