d me to his office

gs." He looked pained. "Ab

hands. "It's co

I need you working together, seamlessly. Whatever personal history

uld I tell him Ethan wouldn

terson. I'll... I'll

more than try

ssness. He didn't un

fferent routes through the hosp

Mercy General

the coffee machine, in the

was a fresh wav

a constant, suf

nging departments. Maybe ped

ry was my life.

t tra

ophia Vance was a glitterin

t, a champagne f

le didn't reach her eyes.

st discussing our wedding plans. A small affair, family on

. She was markin

knew my plac

peech, Sophia leaned towards a group of inf

om med school, Evelyn Hayes, works here now. Caused quite a scandal back then

urmurs. Probing gaz

through me. I felt

ground to swa

eathe. I fled

in the deserted

h Sophia?" I demand

unded genuinely perple

To the donors! Ab

dramatic." He offered n

t her say th

secret that we knew

ting. He didn't care how it ma

erased.

nt, I pulled out the smal

Anatomy. Our

his handwriting in the margins,

laughing, at a Harvard football

dam

For the lost love, the brok

pty, huddled on the fl

the hospital w

Hayes tried to ruin

ly still obse

having to de

the hallways, saw the

desperate ex. Ethan was the noble

ed with anger

cated by the

construction worker

nds on

urgeon, I was lead trauma

ading. No time fo

e need to stabilize the C-spine bef

business. "Agre

was only the patient, the in

sync, anticipating

ct. That, at least

er of s

verheard Liam Miller, Ethan's old college roommate

uick what really happened. Old Ramsey, his mentor? Ramsey confessed to Ethan he'd leaned on Evie hard,

ttered to

saw me. His

known all along

y had mani

ike it was hit

it wasn't because he thought

eper. And he'd let me believe his h

tasted like ash.

empty OR, after the pati

ice tight. "You knew about Ra

tinued stripping off his su

lieve you hated me for tha

mask. "It doesn't ch

t means your coldness, your public denials, Sophia... it's all been a d

eyes. "I had

t reasons could possibly

his head, wo

ense of being deliberately

the construction worker. A surg

ad been flawle

ompetence. What

d Ethan. "Good work today, Eth

urtly. "It's our

walked away, h

n, the professional

rp and cold. I felt

was a wall,

. Boston, Mercy General, E

ers. Urgent deployment, a conflict zo

a world away

sh start. Or may

d. That

o run. Far