The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 5

Lavinia slept fitfully. At five in the morning, long before sunrise, she got up to make breakfast. Oatmeal and bacon were the perfect combination. Mandy used to make it all the time when she lived at home.

The front door clicked open. Lavinia's spatula paused in the pan.

Garnett walked into the living room, heard the noise in the kitchen, and glanced over.

"Smells good," he said flatly. "Making breakfast?"

He smelled like hospital disinfectant, and his pristine white dress shirt was wrinkled.

Lavinia looked away. She couldn't help but wonder how they had spent the night.

A private hospital room was incredibly quiet at night. So quiet that only two people's breathing could be heard. What were they thinking about? What was blossoming in the dark?

Unbidden images flooded her mind. Hands slipping beneath a hospital gown...

Disgusting! She shook her head to clear the thoughts.

"I'm making breakfast to take to my uncle at the hospital," she replied coolly.

Garnett gave a noncommittal hum and headed for the bedroom. "I'm going to change."

Lavinia went back to stirring the pan.

Garnett stepped into the master bedroom. It was spotless. The bed was made perfectly, the pillows arranged symmetrically, as if no one had slept there last night.

He opened his closet to look for his dark grey tie but couldn't find it anywhere. Lavinia organized everything in the house; he never knew where anything was.

"Lavinia," he called out from the bedroom door.

Lavinia dried her hands and walked over. Before he could even speak, she walked straight to the closet, pulled open the second drawer on the left, and flawlessly extracted the dark grey tie from a neat row of rolled-up accessories. She handed it to him.

Garnett took it and turned to the mirror to tie it.

Sometimes, he found it uncanny. It was as if Lavinia could read his mind. He never had to ask; she just knew exactly what he wanted.

That was probably why they spoke less and less. Everything that didn't need to be said was simply omitted.

He remembered how talkative she had been right after they got married. She would tell him what groceries she bought or how the stray cat downstairs had kittens, excitedly sharing all the mundane details of her day.

But he had found her annoying and would coldly cut her off: *Stop bothering me with this pointless garbage. I don't want to hear it.*

Was she just exhausted from taking care of her uncle lately? Wasn't the allowance he gave her every month enough to hire a nurse?

After finishing his breakfast, he left his dishes on the table.

He took two steps away, then turned back.

Staring at the empty dishes for a few seconds, he rolled up his sleeves, carried them to the kitchen, turned on the faucet, and washed them himself.

***

By the time Lavinia reached the hospital, the sun was fully up.

Saul was keeping watch by the bed, dark circles bruised beneath his eyes. Seeing her walk in, he stood up and stretched his stiff shoulders.

Lavinia told him to go home, sleep, and handle the factory's affairs. She would take over caring for Latham.

Latham looked a little better than yesterday. He swallowed a spoonful of food and smiled at her.

Lavinia checked the time. It was almost nine o'clock.