James reached the upstairs hallway and stopped in front of Caryn's room. Eric opened the door for him, allowed him inside, and then closed it behind him.
James saw a woman standing by the window, her back facing him. She wore a simple, ankle-length, off-white loose dress with a light blue warm cardigan draped over it. Her brown hair, streaked with strands of gray, was tied in a loose bun at the nape of her neck. Her slender frame bore the evidence of the ordeal she had endured over the past few months since her surgery.
She sensed James' presence in the room but didn't turn to look at him. Instead, she asked, "Why are you here?"
"You're smart enough to know," he answered, standing at a distance.
"No, I don't. And neither do I feel like knowing," she replied, her tone dismissive.
A brief silence followed before James spoke again. "The woman that night—it was you. Why did you lie to me and say it was someone else?"
