“In intensive care,” Marcus answered flatly. “Tell us again how she fell?”

“She—she tripped on the stairs! I was in the kitchen. Heard the crash. I brought her straight here!”

Marlowe’s tone was calm, but edged. “Strange, given the catalog of old fractures, burns, lacerations. Care to explain?”

The husband—Jonathan Hale—blustered, face flushing. “She’s clumsy! She burns herself cooking, she slips, she—what are you implying?”

“Symmetrical burns don’t come from casseroles,” Marcus cut in. “Nor do knife-carved scars.”

Before the man could retort, Isla appeared breathless. “Doctor—she’s awake. She’s asking for him.”

Jonathan surged forward, but Marcus blocked him. “Not yet. The detective will speak first.”

Inside the ICU, Elise Hale looked fragile, her face pale beneath tangled tubes. At the sight of them, she whispered:
“Is… Jonathan here?”

“He’s outside,” Marcus said gently. “How do you feel?”

She hesitated, eyes glistening. “I fell… I think.”

Marlowe leaned closer. “Elise, the marks on your body—did someone do this to you?”

Her lips trembled. “If I tell… it’ll be worse.”

“You’ll be protected,” he assured. “But without your truth, he’ll keep doing this.”

Tears spilled. “He wasn’t always like this… After I lost my job, he said I belonged to him. That I had to be flawless. When he snaps—there’s nowhere to hide…”

The door suddenly burst open. Jonathan stormed in, his mask of concern cracking. “Elise! What lies are you telling?!”

In one fluid motion, Marlowe twisted his arm, cuffs snapping shut.
“Jonathan Hale, you’re under arrest for aggravated assault.”

Elise sobbed—not from fear, but release. “I thought no one would ever believe me.”

“You’re safe now,” Marcus said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Healing takes time—but this is the first step.”

A week later, Marcus saw Elise again, her mother by her side, fingers entwined. There was a smile on her lips this time—small, but genuine.

“You didn’t just save her life,” her mother told him. “You pulled her out of hell.”

Marcus only nodded. “Sometimes medicine isn’t just about the body. Sometimes, it’s about seeing the wounds no scan will ever show.”

And as he left the hospital that night, stars gleaming faintly beyond the clouds, he thought: This is the highest medicine.