Audrey's Broken Heart Club Band

“Have you noticed that Mikael’s never said ‘I love you’ to Audrey?”

The question came out of nowhere, and caused all three surgeons to stare at the lawyer who posed it.

“It’s not like they’ve been dating for long…” said Raphael, ever the optimist.

It was true – the neurosurgeon and psychiatrist had only been dating for just over two months, after a bizarre (and some might say far-fetched) plan to set the two of them up had actually succeeded, despite all attempts to the contrary.

But David immediately shot down the anaesthesiologist’s suggestion. “Putting aside the past four years of pining, they’ve worked together for a long time, and been friends for most of it. Surely it can’t be that hard to go from loving someone as a friend to being in love with them?”

"I don't know," Cassiel mused. "It's pretty hard to even like you."

David responded with a rude gesture.

“I think,” Felonia gave her input with a sour expression, “That it’s none of our business.”

Despite everyone’s dismissal of David’s words in the moment, the thought was planted in their heads. The group began to catalog the endearments Mikael used with Audrey. At first it was unconscious, but it swiftly turned into daily lunchtime reports of all the ways Mikael wasn’t saying those three tiny words.

“He didn’t say ‘I love you’, but he did call her ‘my love’.”

“This time it was ‘my life’.”

“I heard him refer to Audrey as ‘his everything’, isn’t that disgusting?”

“He called her ‘his soul’ today.”

Audrey’s birthday ended up providing the perfect backdrop to end the spectacle once and for all. Feeling nostalgic, the group was exchanging stories and particularly memorable moments from their friendship.

“Remember that time a bat flew in through an open window?”

“A flying fox,” Cassiel corrected. “Of course; I couldn’t tell who was more scared.”

“Between Audrey and the patient?”

“Between Audrey and the bat,” he deadpanned.

With a sly wink and mischievous smile, David suddenly asked, “What’s your favourite memory of Audrey, Mikael?"

“Every memory with Audrey is the best one,” he answered, earning a radiant smile from Audrey and scrunched up faces from the rest, who were still unused to his newfound romanticism.

Not one to be deterred, David made a proposal: “Let’s all go around in a circle and say something nice about the birthday girl!”

When it came to Mikael’s turn, everyone waited with bated breath for him to finish his sentence with the hoped-for words.

“...You mean more to me than you can imagine.”

“Aw, Mikael, I love you, too.”

Mikael shook his head with a rueful smile. “God knows why, I don’t deserve it.”

Four sets of eyes drilled into him. Feeling the heated stares, the couple turned around.

“What?”

David couldn’t take it anymore. He burst out, a bit too aggressively, “Why won’t you say it?!”

The passionate speech took Mikael aback. The lawyer had a wild gleam in his eyes. He looked, for a lack of better terms, unhinged.

“Just say ‘I love you’! Is it really so hard?!”

Having finally let out his pent up feelings, David took a big gulp of water, then slammed the cup down.

Audrey’s cheeks had started to turn red. Mikael stared blankly at David. Finally, the corner of his mouth twitched. The smile he was trying so hard to hide finally cracked through the facade. As soon as it did, Audrey exploded with laughter; it turned out her cheeks weren’t red from embarrassment, but rather, holding back her mirth.

David watched with absolute bafflement as the amusement spread like a contagion, infecting even the ever unflappable Felonia. The realisation was as sudden as an aneurysm.

“You–” David sputtered. “You planned this?”

He couldn’t believe that Mikael – stern, no-nonsense, not-a-bone-of-humour-in-him Mikael – had pranked him so efficiently. And to make matters worse, all his friends had been in on it.

Felonia smirked. “Told you he’d get his revenge.”

I feel like since they’ve started using AI to do most of the art in these books I have worried about the inevitable: AI use in the writing of stories.

Which brings me to my main claim: I believe that RC and Klara have used AI, at least to a certain extent, to write Waterlily.

If you feel uncomfortable with that I completely understand, it was one of the books I have been most excited about and genuinely enjoyed. I have made posts praising it and only two days ago I would have had defended this book wholeheartedly.

In the past day unfortunately I have been presented significant amounts of evidence that show that the writing has many of the hallmarks of AI. At first I was confused and denied it but the more I have looked into it, the more I have realized the severity of the situation.

I cannot feasibly list everything in this post that has been curated showing AI usage but I would like to give some examples that have been particularly egregious to me. All of these are things that are seen regularly when using generative AI in creative writing.

1) Heavily repeated words.

- For those have heard of the book Shy Girl, you know that it was revealed to have been made, at least in part due to AI. One of the big things noted in the book was the overuse of the word “sharp” as a descriptor. This book unfortunately not only had this problem, but has it in part with the very same word.

- Sharp is repeated 17 times, including 7 times in one chapter. This includes many lines where most humans would likely not consider that to be the optimal word for the situation. While that’s also possible to be human error, it’s the pure amount of times it is repeated that gives me pause. Examples: “some truths are too sharp to say out loud”, “he inhales sharply”, “is grin widened, sharp and delighted”.

- Other words that are so far noticeably used repeatedly include: heavy, weight, spine, and memory. They’re not insanely overused but they are used pretty consistently in similar metaphors and contexts (such as both the lines “the memory burns” and “the memory releases me” in the same chapter). Memory in particular seems to be a word often repeated by AI.

2) Repetitive and Fragmented Sentence Structure

- A common gen AI writing style seen is short fragmented sentences, some examples from WL include: “I looked away first. Heart hammering. Throat dry.” “Not like that. Not in a sad way. In a poetic way.” or “Me at the edge. Tiffany beside me. The shift in weight. The push. The fall.”

- In less than the first three chapters this is seen at least 20 times (there may be some not spotted yet, and more in the remaining two chapters).

- Again these are commonly used writing tropes on their own but the sheer amount is unusual, even among something like fanfic (which ofc AI has been trained on).

3) Mirrored Dialogue Cadence

- Again this is shown at least 13 times in the first three chapters alone. While this is a common writing quirk, it is very common in this story.

- Some examples include [Riley: “It's called repetition for emphasis.” / Declan: “It's called a limited vocabulary.”], [Lily: “Stop sulking. We're having fun.” / Riley: “You're having fun. I'm having heatstroke” / Lily: “Same thing.”], and [Fabian: “Girls tend to like my confidence.” / Riley: “Girls tend to like a lot of things that are bad for them.”]

4) Overuse of Similes:

- This includes both ‘like’ and ‘as if’ statements.

- Again if any of you know of the Shy Girl drama, you know that book had a severe over reliance on similes, many of which make less and less sense when thought through.

- While I like a lot of the imagery in this book, looking at the similes in one document together raised many red flags.

- A total of at least 46 similes are used in the five chapters of WL that are currently out. That’s almost ten a chapter. I know many people enjoy writing flowery language but this book has an over reliance shown in examples such as Shy Girl.

- Some just first glance examples that I find to be a little unusual are “a touch so gentile it feels like a secret” or “in the corner stands the easel, draped like a corpse”.

5) The Dramatic Pause

- Ok full disclosure: I love an ellipses, truly I do. But it gets to a point. When there’s over 55 uses of them in just 5 chapters it raises some red flags for me. These are seen in dialogue from every main character as well, it doesn’t read like a character quirk from any one person.

- I guess some examples: “Yes... I guess you always did have a hard head.”, “Your hands are... questionable.”, or “To stay in there. Most people would find it... haunting.”

- Idk if I even need to include those, I’m sure most of you know what ellipses are. I’m sure many of you are also aware of gen AIs overuse of both ellipses and asterisks so I don’t know if I have to explain this one as much.

6) “The Kind Of”

- Another thing noted as being common in gen AI writing is using the phrase “the kind of”. This is seen in WL in lines such as “A harp. Gilded and gleaming. The kind that belongs in a concert hall, not a bedroom.” and “The kind of voice that's learned not to give anything away.” These aren’t the only examples but a full list of them hasn’t been compiled yet.

7) “not —— but —.” or “no —-. No —-. Just —-.”

- This is an extremely common thing to see in gen AI writing. I bet even if you don’t know too much about it, you may have heard about this at some point.

- For instance “I’m not lying, I’m just managing”, “No expectations. No pressure. Just live the summer.”, “No pretense. Just sound.”, or “He didn’t want everyone. He just wanted to be wanted.”

- I’m not fully sure how many of these there are total since they’re still being curated but there certainly seem to be many so far.

Some final thoughts:

AI has been trained off of human writing, so to an extend most creative writing will read in some ways similarly to AI. This is why I am hesitant to even accuse Klara of using this amount of AI. It does seem suspicious though that she possessed a large amount of the writing quirks seen in AI. Many of these sparingly or individually don’t raise any red flags to me but the sheer amount raises uncertainty.

If it is true that RC is moving in a direction that either encourages or allows AI to be used in the writing process, I would feel less inclined to support them. It’s unfortunate but I truly don’t understand the point of making visual novels if not to have someone write the novel. AI steals from other artists and I consider it to be theft, I am very hesitant to support a company that encourages theft.

So yeah, that’s the thoughts of today, I apologize for the ramble. Again thanks to @cordonia for the hard work she has put into examining this book. There will be much more added to her current document looking into this and I’ll update this post in reblogs as more comes out.

Again please know I wouldn’t be making this post if it was not a major concern for me. I was very into the book when it came out but I worry now that this is showing a bad direction RC could be going in.

Some sources:

- https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/magazine/chatbot-writing-style.html

- https://recordcrash.substack.com/p/how-to-identify-ai-written-web-fiction

- https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/1p899da/im_really_tired_of_the_overuse_of_simile_and

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbeKTa5xhZo&t=1961s - I watched this and unfortunately saw some things that reminded me of Waterlily, hence why “sharp” is a major tell for me.

the heavy doors disturb the middle-of-the-night silence that reigns in the icy castle as a pair of lovers slam them with the weight of their bodies, the man's fingers blindly searching for the key to ensure nobody disturbs their peace.

"it's as if you wear so many layers to discourage yourself from giving in to your desires," adeline mumbles against his lips, hands working on unbuttoning and unclasping the numerous layers her lover has put on. mikael almost smiles at her comment—and he would have smiled, maybe even bit her lip playfully, if he wasn't so damn mad.

mad at… everything. at morta, for convincing his beloved to take her own life. at malek for bringing the immortal to their house in the first place. at shephamalum, at somnus. at lucifer and his wife for robbing him of his brother. at adeline for not staying away from morta. but mostly, he's mad at himself for not keeping a closer eye on her, for not pressuring her into confiding in him, for not acting differently despite knowing how much his wife was suffering.

unwilling to part, adeline takes the top part of her dress off and lets it hang around her waist, sharing the same fate as the bunched-up skirt that her husband already took care of. once mikael removes his last layers, adeline reaches between them and guides him inside, giving him a few encouraging strokes first.

a muffled moan and barely contained groan blend when their bodies join at last; and mikael, despite his longing, anger, and desperation, stills when he's halfway in. "alright?" he mumbles into her damp neck. adeline hums in response, slightly overwhelmed as her body reacquaints itself with the familiar stretch. meanwhile, mikael, quivering with impatience, stays still, rubbing comforting circles to her thighs.

"did you think of this when i wasn't around to take care of you?" adeline opens, voice low, seductive. she squirms with impatience and wraps her arms tighter around the archangel, extracting a low groan from her man as she slides down lower on his cock.

fighting to retain at least a semblance of self-control, mikael takes a deep breath through clenched teeth. he presses an open-mouthed kiss to adeline's collarbone, sucking the skin softly, wishing to leave a mark on her that everyone will see, but one that will not be considered obscene. "you're too breathtaking not to think of, adeline," he teases, dragging his tongue along her pulsing jugular vein. "i did think of you, yes… before retiring for the evening… in the early mornings, before starting my days… during long and tedious meetings… you were always with me, bare and inviting, writhing under me, moaning my name over… and over…"

once he's at eye level with his wife, mikael fixes his hold on her and bottoms out, studying adeline's reaction like a scientist, a man starved for any kind of intimacy with his beloved. adeline lets her head fall back slightly, resting against the cool wall, but maintains eye contact with mikael whose own lips part to release a quiet groan that travels through her entire body, only to reach its destination seconds later. her lower belly tenses with anticipation, and so does her pussy, making mikael swallow slowly.

"good. now, for the love of god, please fuck me, husband."

and being the best soldier that he is, mikael carries out the order given by the commander of his heart. he moves his hips slowly at first, giving them a moment to reacquaint themselves with the sensation, but it only takes a minute for him to lose the remnants of his composure and start fucking adeline wildly and desperately, as if his life depended on it. and in a sense, it does—at least that's what it feels like to mikael.

"you don't have the right… to scare me like that… ever again," he pants, lips touching her cheek every time he speaks, while his hips slam against hers in quick succession. "you don't get to leave before we've had our happy ever after."

in a quick, slick manoeuvre, mikael pulls out, lowers adeline to the ground and bends her against the dresser, giving her something to help her stay on her feet. before she has a chance to object to the sudden emptiness, he slips back inside, forcing an obscene moan from her chest.

"remember that we're not alone in this castle," mikael remonstrates, smiling to himself, a bit proudly even, at the thought that they barely started yet adeline already can't keep quiet. he'd be a liar if he said it doesn't stroke his ego.

adeline's palm leaves wet streaks and hand prints all over the window while the grip of mikael's hands leaves bruises on the woman's hips. he only losens his grip when adeline asks him to stop and move to the bed, claiming that the current position is too uncomfortable. she would never admit that seeing her own reflection makes her want to smash the window with her bare fist.

mikael quietly agrees and seconds later, adeline lies flat on her back under mikael, locked in one of the meanest mating presses and the only thing she can do is paint abstract figures on mikael's back with her nails.

laboured breaths mix with poorly muffled moans and the wet sounds of skin against skin; the air, despite its biting coldness, becomes suffocating to adeline and before she realises, she hears mikael's worried voice.

"adeline? what happened?"

"nothing! i'm— i'm fine, i promise—" adeline sobs, hurriedly wiping the tears off her cheeks. mikael slides both hands under her head, forcing her to look at him. and the fear and concern she sees painted all over his face make her cry harder.

"my love," he coos, his thumbs stroking her cheeks, wiping off the wetness. "did i hurt you? do you want to stop?"

"no! just— oh my god, just keep going, i'll be okay in a moment," she pleads.

"i don't find the look of my beloved crying while making love very arousing, adeline," the archangel sends her a small, a bit shy, smile. she's not sure, but she thinks she can feel him grow softer inside her, and she closes her eyes, mortified.

"fuck."

the woman covers her face with her hands and takes a few deep breaths, using one of the calming techniques she learned years ago during her own therapy. it only takes a minute, but it feels like ages to her; she wipes her face and looks at the man above her, her hands covering his over her face.

"it's silly."

"it's not silly if it makes you react so strongly," mikael reassures. "talk to me, adeline."

"i just missed you. i missed this. and i got overwhelmed. it's easy to get overwhelmed when you fuck me that good, i'll have you know."

the man doesn't try fighting the smile that creeps upon his lips and instead, he just shakes his head. "you're impossible."

"i prefer the word 'entertaining," adeline chuckles. "can we keep going, please?"

mikael nods once he's made certain that the woman underneath him is truly alright. without changing position, he begins to move his hips again, slowly at first, without breaking eye contact. adeline's confession actually softened his heart and the anger he's been carrying inside lately simply evaporated—what remained was the pure desire to be as close as possible with the woman he loves.

it's not long before adeline's moans fill the cold chamber yet again; it only takes minutes for the both of them to finish. the years of separation rear it's ugly head and sensing his upcoming release, mikael slips his hand between their bodies to rub his wife's clit. the couple orgasms almost simultaneously and mikael has to cover adeline's mouth with his own to muffle her moans.

they spend the next couple of minutes trying to calm their breaths, laying side by side and loosely holding hands.

"i missed this," adeline whispers. resting on her back, sweaty, heart still racing, she turns her head to look at her husband, only to find him already admiring her—the kiss-swollen lips, glistening skin, and ruffled hair. messy yet somehow even more beautiful. "we should do this more often."

and adeline could swear that the laugh which leaves mikael's lips is the most beautiful sound she's ever heard. merry, free, and melodious, it envelopes her heart like honey, leaving a warm aftertaste.

the fact mikael rarely allows himself to relax to this degree makes this moment all the sweeter.

"why are you laughing at me? i know you want it too!"

"if it were up to me, we'd never leave this bed," he admits, a smile still stretching his kiss-swollen lips. forcing his tired body to move, he rolls over and settles between adeline's legs. "i love you," the archangel says softly against her lips as his thumb traces her jawline back and forth. "i missed you so intensely it felt as if ripping my heart out and living with that open wound would hurt less than not seeing your face every morning."

adeline sighs quietly. her warm hand settles on the man's cheek, softly, tenderly. "i love you so much it makes me want to cry every time i look at you. and if all of this is what we had to go through to be able to be here together right now, i'd do it all over again," she admits quietly, her eyes shining with unshed tears as if to prove her veracity.

"i have something for you," mikael says once he's put on his jacket and adjusted the cufflinks. audrey looks at him inquisitively in the mirror and watches him take a small, elegant box out of his drawer. she finishes putting in her earrings just as he gets down on one knee in front of her and hands her the box. "i thought you'd like to get them back."

intrigued by the small smile playing on his lips, adeline carefully opens the box which, as it turns out, hides the two things adeline missed the most—after mikael of course—during their separation.

"my rings," a big grin stretches on her face, and she places her fingers on her lips to partly hide it—a grin reminder of her years in the public school system.

"may i?"

adeline nods, and once the box is back in mikael's hand, she offers her left hand to him.

mikael clears his throat and looks into the woman's eyes, his voice steady, eyes serious.

"adeline, if you wish to… part, i will not interfere. i realise how much suffering i have condemned you to and—"

mikael is silenced mid-sentence when adeline unceremoniously crashes her lips against his and kisses him slowly and deep. she whispers a quick 'shut up' before sliding her tongue across his lower lip. the archangel smiles at her comment, glad to have his cheeky partner back, even if only for a moment, and happily grants her access by parting his lips.

"we're going to end up in bed again," mikael chuckles.

"and what's so bad about it?"

"we should go down for dinner soon."

adeline hums. slowly, like a cat prowling, she makes her way from the man's lips to his ear, leaving a wet path in her wake. "you can have dinner in bed."

"incorrigible temptress," he chuckles and presses one last kiss to her lips.

moments later, the woman becomes serious once again and returns to the issue.

"for better and for worse. for richer, for poorer. in sickness and in health," she reminds softly, to which mikael responds:

"til death do us part. now, you can choose to walk away."

"no."

the short and simple, almost angry response leaves adeline's lips immediately. mikael observes her intently.

"you will not get out of it this easily—"

"i am not trying to get out of—"

"you brought me into this world, you made me fall in love with you, and so you are now stuck with my until your hair turns grey and you're all wrinkly like a dried—but still very hot—raisin," she huffs.

mikael almost chuckles at the annoyance painted on her face and the angry tone she didn't even bother hiding. he nods.

"alright, my love."

then, he slowly slides the rings back where they belong—to adeline's left hand's ring finger. first, the sizeable, glimmering diamond. then, the white gold diamond-studded wedding ring he spent a week designing after his long working hours.

mikael himself never took off his wedding ring. not even for a second. it's been in the exact same spot ever since adeline slid it onto his finger those four years ago.

as for adeline's rings, the situation was more complicated—fearing what she would go through under shephamalum's "care," mikael made the spontaneous, split-second decision to take them off and keep them for her in safe place. and adeline was grateful for that.

admiring the rings glimmering under the midday sun, adeline smiles. "we really should get married here."

adeline rests her forehead against mikael's and closes her eyes for a moment. she loves her rings and what they represent. she adores what their wedding ceremony and celebration looked like on earth. however, she also realises that now, in heaven, their earthly vows mean very little to anyone other than the two of them. at the same time, she'd love to have another ceremony that will look like what mikael might've imagined his wedding to look like when he was younger. she'd love to celebrate their love surrounded by their friends.

"we will. soon."

“Have you heard?”

“The rumours about Doctor Sinner? Of course.”

Mikael was sulking. Those that didn’t know him might not have noticed, but to Cassiel, David and Raphael, it was as clear as day. A crease had formed at his brow, and there was a slight twitch to his fingers as he steadily tapped away at the wooden surface of the table before him. His lips were pulled into a barely discernible frown, his gloomy visage further accentuated by the stormy grey of his eyes.

“I’m sure I can dig up some information,” David was saying.

Mikael’s reply was icy. “That isn’t necessary.”

Cassiel and Raphael shared looks.

“Maybe you should just talk to her?” Raphael suggested, ever the voice of reason.

It was too bad that logic had left the table with the arrival of Audrey’s mystery guest.

“Did you see Doctor Sinner’s visitor? He was so handsome!”

“Do you think they’re seeing each other?”

“They seemed pretty close…They’d be a cute couple, for sure!”

Mikael stopped dead in his tracks, making Raphael slow down next to him. The nurses were quick to apologise, assuming he was about to chastise them for gossiping instead of working.

“Mikael…?”

“It’s nothing. Let’s continue.”

Still, the words wouldn’t leave Mikael’s mind, and he found himself wandering over to the psychiatry department during his lunch break. He hesitated at the door, which revealed an empty office.

“If you’re looking for Audrey, she’s gone out for lunch,” a voice said from behind him. It was Mimi, one of the psychologists. “I can’t believe she’s been hiding such a handsome man all this time.”

“Can you blame her?” Sammy asked. “Remember all the fuss you made about Lucifer and Vicky?”

“That was ages ago! And what did they expect would happen when they got caught making out in the storage closet? Really–”

Mikael didn’t stay for the rest of their conversation. Instead, he tracked down the one person who always knew what was happening in the hospital.

“Audrey’s guest? Yeah, I heard. Why? Are you jealous?”

Mischief sparked in David’s eyes.

Mikael, who would rather die than admit his jealousy to David, said, “No, just curious.”

“Right…Then you wouldn’t care that he brought her flowers?”

Things had deteriorated from there. Each round brought a new rumour, and David was all too happy to goad Mikael on, taking delight in the usually stern man’s sudden trepidation.

Cassiel found himself missing Felonia. He was sure the cardiothoracic surgeon, whose tongue was as sharp as the scalpel she wielded with terrifying precision, would have shut down all this nonsense already; instead, he and Raphael were left to fight a battle of attrition against David and Mikael, who were assigning way too much weight to the gossip that was circling the hospital faster than the flu in winter.

“Have either of you actually seen this mystery guy?” Cassiel asked. “Or are you worrying over mere rumours?”

“No one is worried,” Mikael said.

No one believed him. His pager beeped, and the neurosurgeon excused himself. Concerned and amused looks followed him out. Cassiel narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the latter, which came from David.

“Why are you promoting this?”

“I think it’s a good thing. Maybe it will finally get Mikael to make a move. He’s been pining over Audrey for so long, it’s about time, isn’t it?”

The neurosurgeon and psychiatrist had become fast friends, often bumping into one another due to the overlap in their work. It hadn’t escaped their friends’ notice that Mikael took every chance to consult with Audrey for ‘advice’, and to ensure their lunch breaks lined up. Much to their frustration, he hadn’t done much else, and shut down any and all attempts made at persuading him.

“Just watch,” David said, leaning back casually. “We won’t even have to lift a finger.”

Mikael was continuing to act like nothing had ever happened. He made his usual visits and stopped himself from questioning Audrey about the rumours floating around, no matter how much he wanted to. And as if the universe was listening to his unspoken desires, the object of that gossip appeared.

“Malek?” Audrey was surprised. “What are you doing here so early? I thought we were meeting up for lunch.”

Lunch again? The thought bordered on mutinous.

The man paused next to the small table Mikael, David and Audrey had taken over for a short coffee break. Mikael hated to admit it, but the rumours weren’t wrong. He and Audrey really would have made a good-looking couple.

“Change of plans. I’m not sure if you saw the message, but Mother wants you to come over for dinner. She says it’s been too long since she saw you.”

“Yeah, that should be fine. It’ll be good to see Astrea.” She was still a little confused. “But why did you come in person? A phone call would have been fine.”

Yes, why are you here?

“I wanted to meet your colleagues I’ve heard so much about.” He smiled apologetically at Mikael and David. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Mikael forced out a polite greeting. David did the same, though he was infinitely cheerier about it. Malek’s gaze lingered on Mikael, curious. Audrey hastily broke the tension.

“Was there anything else?”

“No. I’ll see you at dinner.”

Nodding at them once more, the visitor departed (only after placing a short but sweet kiss on Audrey's cheek, to Mikael's despair). Audrey didn’t offer up any further details, and Mikael didn’t ask. It wasn’t his business, after all. David, however, had no such reservations, and immediately jumped on the opportunity.

“Dinner with the parents? Are you nervous?”

She frowned, perplexed. “Why would I be? Astrea practically is my mother.”

There was an audible click – from the cup Mikael had set down with just a little too much force, or the sound of his teeth clashing as his jaws clenched; David wasn’t sure which.

His recount of the whole situation made Raphael shake his head in dismay.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Raphael insisted. “Plenty of people are close with their friends’ parents.”

“I don’t know…” Cassiel said. “It is pretty strange.”

Raphael stared at him as if he’d committed high treason. “Cas.”

“I’m not saying they’re right, they’ll need much more evidence to convince me. Right now, everything is circumstantial.”

Cassiel’s required proof came a few days later in the form of a Code Grey.

A patient had lapsed into a psychotic episode, and had attempted to strangle Audrey. Mikael was informed of the incident minutes after it was resolved by a quick-thinking Raphael, who’d been nearby and managed to sedate the patient. Somehow, Mikael managed to walk slowly and calmly over to the ward, despite his racing heart. David and Cassiel had beat him there, David as the hospital’s legal counsel, and Cassiel having emerged from a surgery next door. Both men were crawling on their knees, evidently searching for something. Audrey watched them attentively, wringing her hands in a nervous gesture.

“Are you all right?”

She didn’t look away as she answered, “I’m fine…But my necklace broke…”

David crowed triumphantly, whirling around as he presented his find. “Look what I found!”

Audrey sighed with relief as he placed the precious object in her hands: a ring.

Noticing the look on his face, Raphael whispered half-heartedly, “It could be an heirloom…”

Cassiel fussed around Audrey anxiously. “Do you want one of us to take you home?”

“No, no, I’m okay, really.”

“Don’t bother,” a cool, even voice spoke. It was Eragon, head of emergency. “I already called your emergency contact. Malek Sinner? He’s a professor at Oxford, isn’t he?”

Mikael’s heart stopped dead in his chest. Now, it felt as if he was the one who had been strangled.

“Yes, but it wasn’t necessary to call him–”

“Go home, Audrey. Relax. That’s an order.” Eragon turned to the others. “One of you, whoever’s available, make sure she actually listens.”

“Of course.”

An awkward silence descended. David excused himself, citing paperwork, dragging Raphael with him as a witness. Cassiel was left as an unwitting mediator.

Audrey gave them the side-eye. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance you’d let me sneak off?”

The men replied in unison: “No.”

Sighing, she reached for her neck out of habit, then withdrew.

Cassiel said, “I never noticed you wore a wedding band on your neck.”

“I only started wearing it recently. Malek gave me the necklace for it last week as a gift. It’s a shame I broke it so soon.”

Though Cassiel wasn’t as nearly upset about the whole situation as Mikael, it still stung that Audrey had never mentioned Malek to them before. He couldn’t hold back the question, “How come you’ve never spoken about him before?”

“Why would I? You never asked, and it’s not like he’s around much anyway.”

The simple statement made Mikael scowl. Audrey deserved better than an absent partner. Mikael opened his mouth to say as much, but was interrupted by Malek’s arrival. Striding up to them, he examined Audrey with a critical gaze. He was far too calm for Mikael’s liking.

“Let’s go. You can stay at mine tonight.”

Everything Mikael was about to say came to a screeching halt.

“Yours?” he echoed.

Malek stared at him like he was an idiot and drawled, “Yes, mine. How else can I make sure she gets some rest?”

Cassiel thought it was a shame that Raphael wasn’t there to witness as Mikael finally asked, “What exactly is your relationship?”

“Audrey is my sister. My mother took her in when we were both teenagers. Did you not know?”

Though his question was directed at Mikael, his gaze was on Audrey. She shrugged, baffled.

“I guess I assumed that since David knew, you all knew, too.”

Mikael went very, very still.

Around the corner, David bid a hasty retreat from his hiding spot, dragging a disapproving Raphael with him. A Code Grey was enough for today; no need for a Code Yellow, too.

Bonus:

“Did Mikael at least ask her out after all that?” Fel asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Malek replied. “I had to fake an emergency to get him to volunteer to have Audrey stay at his place. Only after that did they actually go on a date.”

Raphael had his face in his hands. “I can’t believe you all planned this.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Cassiel added.

“No way either of you could have kept it a secret,” David pointed out. “The entire plan would have crumbled. And we wouldn’t be able to enjoy this!”

David gestured toward the corner of the cafe, where Audrey and Mikael were engaged in quiet conversation. Both had soft smiles on their faces, and the neurosurgeon was gazing at the psychiatrist as if she had hung the moon.

“You can applaud now,” David told them.

Bonus: Bruno