I stared at her.
"Was it approved?"
She hesitated.
"I wasn't given the full documentation. I was told your father had authorized it."
My hands began shaking.
"And then?"
"The solution was administered during a procedure that night. Within hours, your eyes developed severe inflammation."
She began crying.
"I remember the alarms. The doctors rushing in. Your father shouting at Dr. Rowan."
"What was he shouting?"
Evelyn wiped her cheeks.
"He kept saying, 'You promised it was safe.'"
I closed my eyes.
Then she said something that made my blood turn cold.
"Your father wanted the procedure reported immediately. Dr. Rowan told him that if he did, both of them would be held responsible."
I stared at her.
"And my mother?"
"She wasn't allowed into the treatment area. Your father signed an instruction delaying disclosure until the doctors had reviewed what happened."
The four words flashed through my mind.
