Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert)

Sylvia bent down to pick up the piece of paper from the floor-and froze.

Chris looked over, puzzled. "What's up? Why are you just standing there?"

She held up the two slips of paper in her hand, showing him. "Take a look at this."

Chris barely glanced at them at first, but then his face went blank. "Whose numbers are these? Why does the handwriting look exactly like mine?"

The way the 9s, 6s, and 1s had those little tails-it was just how he wrote them, a habit he thought was unique.

No wonder Sylvia had felt a sense of déjà vu after getting the note from Ms. Ward. She'd seen handwriting like this before-on Chris's medical records.

Suddenly, her mind flashed back to what Ms. Ward had said about being set up with a doctor.

She looked Chris dead in the eye. "You're on a blind date? Is her last name Ward?"

Chris blinked, caught off guard. "How did you know? But I haven't even had time to meet her yet, I—"

They stared at each other, and realization dawned at the same time.

Chris's expression turned sour. "When Caleb was a kid, he got grounded after bombing a test. My dad whipped him, and ever since, he started copying my parents' signatures. Later, he got so good at forging anyone's handwriting, you couldn't tell the difference."

He grabbed his phone to call.

Sylvia stopped him, hands shaking. "You're telling me he can forge anyone's handwriting?"

time to practice. But yeah, he's that good. Let me

turned away, dialing Caleb's

back. The person who'd handed her the surgical documents had been Caleb, and they'd

was still talking about getting custody of Stella after the divorce-like he

signed the

began to throb. At that moment, her phone buzzed

was a message from Ms. Ward—but the photo attached made Sylvia's stomach

up, ropes crisscrossing

I say," the

Sylvia instinctively glanced around

few people reading medical charts or keeping

to Chris, just a

Ward being slapped, her mouth taped shut, pain

couldn't risk it. She turned and

Chris was frantically dialing Caleb-five calls,

Just then,

Xxnurse called from the

therapy room. "Is someone here for Naomi?

help coming in."

around-Sylvia was

dread crept down his spine. He quickly

driver, told him to keep an eye on Naomi, then called Rupert. "Sylvia's