Chapter Nineteen: Angels and Monsters

The ticking of the bookshelf grows louder, and with it, Tom’s sense that something is coming undone. A glance at the titles he’s written becomes more than pride—it becomes a reckoning. In this pivotal chapter, Tom remembers how Meredith entered his life, orchestrated by Maria, his first editor and quiet guardian. The encounter is electric, fateful—and laced with shadows.

As the story unfolds, we’re also taken back further still—to a childhood moment with his mother, Wendy, when she placed a pen in his hand and told him to write his feelings down. A moment of rescue that would define him… and a foreshadowing of her absence when he would need her most.

Meanwhile, David watches, patient and silent, as Meredith takes up space. And somewhere between the bookshelf, the dragon, and the chicken, the stage is set for a question the reader won’t be able to shake:

Where was everyone when it mattered most?

(Note: no commentary follows this episode).

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