Page 56 of Pretty Cruel Love

His knee brushes mine again and lingers, and I don’t pull away. For the first time tonight, I feel warm.

And wanted…

We stay like that until the sun returns to the sky.

24

DR. WEISS

Day Thirteen

The timing of theDatelineepisode couldn’t be any worse.

At the end of the segment, the reporter dedicated a full three minutes to me. Narrating over footage of me driving past her and avoiding her mic, she said, “Many believe that Dr. Weiss’s involvement has brought a new level of attention to this case, as he’s known for helping those wronged by the system with his unique methods. But no one I talked to—and I do mean no one—sees anything noble about his involvement with this particular case.”

Like most lazy journalists, she skimmed my former success stories, never digging deeper—just regurgitating what’s already been reported.

Still, her words hit harder than I expected.

News crews now swarm the bottom of the hill, and there’s a massive red countdown clock perched at the road’s edge, ticking down Sadie’s remaining hours.

Less than forty-eight of them…

That’s all that remains to run the truth serum tests. And while I’ve always thrived under pressure, I can feel Sadie’s chances at freedom slipping through my fingers with every second.

There’s no room for extra calls to her new lawyer. No time for fresh research. Just her, strapped to a chair, while I record everything she says and present it to the behavioral team. Then I’ll make my official recommendation to the parole board and submit her mental status to the court, in case she gets another trial.

“Something needs to fucking give…” I mutter. “I can’t afford to be wrong.”

I’m running through every scenario again—checking cracks, recalculating risks—when Robin calls.

“Tell me you have something new,” I answer.

“Something new, something pretty, and something ugly.”

“Start talking.”

“The pretty,” she says. “I paid the warden a visit. He’s agreed to let Sadie complete the full fourteen days in the program. Tomorrow counts as day nine—he’s decided not to count her arrival night.”

“How the hell did you get him to agree to that?”

“I pulled some strings I’d rather not explain. Just know you owe me.”

“I do.” I smirk. “Thank you. Now what’s the ‘new’ and ‘ugly’?”

“They’re one and the same. There was a long gap in the cabin’s surveillance footage. The tech team says the audio and video were looped.”

I exhale sharply. “I meant something relevant to her case, Robin. Not a tech hiccup.”

“When you brought me on, you said this experiment would run the same way every single time. No variables. No surprises. Just control. Truth.”

“My parents died a long time ago,” I say. “I don’t take lectures from anyone else.”

“A convicted triple murderer wentunmonitored for hoursin your cabin. Explain that.”

“She sutured a cut on my arm during Night Ten, and the first-aid kit is in my bathroom. That’s why.”

“That’s not the gap I’m referring to.” Her voice tightens. “I mean Night Seven.”

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