Me-Before-You-by-Jojo-Moyes

I realized he would not be interested in the personal minutiae of Will’s life,
even if he knew.
‘He’s a bit quiet, though. Nice work with the shave, by the way. Good to get
him out from behind all that shrubbery.’
I walked back into the living room. Will was sitting staring at the television,
which was still paused at the exact moment I had left it.
‘Do you want me to turn this back on?’ I said.
He didn’t seem to hear me for a minute. His head was sunk in his shoulders,
the earlier relaxed expression replaced by a veil. Will was closed off again,
locked behind something I couldn’t penetrate.
He blinked, as if he had only just noticed me there. ‘Sure,’ he said.
I was carrying a basket of washing down the hall when I heard them. The annexe
door was slightly ajar and the voices of Mrs Traynor and her daughter carried
down the long corridor, the sound coming in muted waves. Will’s sister was
sobbing quietly, all fury gone from her voice now. She sounded almost childlike.
‘There must be something they can do. Some medical advance. Can’t you take
him to America? Things are always improving in America.’
‘Your father keeps a very close eye on all the developments. But no, darling,
there is nothing … concrete.’
‘He’s so … different now. It’s like he’s determined not to see the good in
anything.’
‘He’s been like that since the start, George. I think it’s just that you didn’t see
him apart from when you flew home. Back then, I think he was
still … determined. Back then, he was sure that something would change.’
I felt a little uncomfortable listening in on such a private conversation. But the
odd tenor drew me closer. I found myself walking softly towards the door, my
socked feet making no sound on the floor.
‘Look, Daddy and I didn’t tell you. We didn’t want to upset you. But he
tried … ’ she struggled over the words. ‘Will tried to … he tried to kill himself.’
‘What?’
‘Daddy found him. Back in December. It was … it was terrible.’
Even though this only really confirmed what I had guessed, I felt all the blood
drain from me. I heard a muffled cry, a whispered reassurance. There was