The Flower That Grew from Ashes novel Chapter 12

The next morning, the first pale rays of sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting a gray hue across the hospital room.

Harriet tiptoed in, carrying a steaming bowl of warm oatmeal.

"You're awake, ma'am?" Harriet's face instantly broke into a sympathetic, caring smile when she saw Annelise's open eyes. "I made you some breakfast. Eat it while it's hot. It'll soothe your stomach."

Annelise looked at her and gave a small nod.

Just then, the nurse came in for her morning rounds to check Annelise's temperature and change her dressings, bringing a flurry of activity into the room.

Annelise cooperated in total silence. Her eyes were impossibly calm, like a bottomless, ancient well.

Once the nurse wheeled her cart out and the door clicked shut, Annelise finally spoke. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable tone of absolute authority.

"Harriet, lock the door."

Harriet froze for a second. Though confused, she did as she was told and secured the lock from the inside.

Carrying the bowl back to the bedside, she was about to encourage Annelise to eat. But the moment she met Annelise's gaze, she nearly dropped the bowl.

Annelise's eyes held none of the vulnerability or grief expected of a woman who had just lost her baby and endured a major surgery. Instead, they held a cold, calculated gleam Harriet had never seen before. It was as if all her emotions had burned away, leaving behind nothing but freezing ash.

"Ma'am... you..." Harriet's heart skipped a beat, a heavy sense of foreboding washing over her.

Annelise didn't address her concern. Instead, she slowly and clearly asked a seemingly unrelated question.

"Harriet, do you remember my appendectomy four years ago?"

Harriet looked completely bewildered by the pivot but tried her best to recall.

"Of course I remember. You were in terrible pain in the middle of the night, and I was the one who called the ambulance."

"Let me ask you," Annelise said, her gaze slicing through Harriet's memory like a scalpel. "How long did you wait outside the operating room that night?"

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