6
Austin was a classmate of mine from high school. He’s now a doctor at this hospital.
The day I had my surgery, he was standing in the hallway. The moment he saw me, his eyes filled with a deep, aching concern.
Now, his expression was dark, and his voice carried a mix of frustration and pity as he said, “Hannah, he’s a complete mess. Why are you still holding onto him?”
I gave him a faint smile but said nothing.
He sighed as he looked at my pale face. “Go back to bed and rest.”
Evan didn’t come back until two hours later.
By then, Austin was cleaning up the food containers he’d brought.
Evan froze when he walked in, his eyes narrowing with hostility. “Austin, what are you doing here?”
Austin didn’t even look fazed. His tone was calm, almost indifferent. “I’m a doctor here, Evan. I stopped by to check on an old friend and bring her something to eat. Is there a problem with that?”
Evan’s gaze darted nervously to me.
He said he was going to get food, but he’d been gone for two hours. Not a single text, not a single call.
Hurriedly, Evan tried to explain himself. “I remembered you love the seafood chowder from Starfish Grill. They’re always busy, so I had to wait in line forever. I didn’t expect you’d already eaten.”
His tone carried a hint of blame, as if it was my fault for eating someone else’s food.
I didn’t bother calling him out on his lie. Instead, I said flatly, “If you had to wait so long for it, we shouldn’t let it go to waste. Give it to Dr. Austin. He’s been running around helping me all day–it’s the least we can do to thank him.”
Before Evan could respond, Austin walked over, took the container from his hands, and smiled.
“Thanks, Evan. Much appreciated.”
He turned to me then, his smile soft and kind. “I’ll stop by tomorrow to check on you.”
I nodded.
2:29 PM
<
Evan stepped in front of me, blocking my view of Austin
close?”
“We’re just friends,” I said, my tone calm but detached.
Evan’s expression darkened further. I knew he was jealous.
he left. His voice was laced with irritation. “Since when are you and Austin so
In the past, I would’ve rushed to explain myself, to soothe him, to reassure him I only had eyes for him.
But now? I didn’t even want to look at him.
I said, “You’ve been working so hard lately. Why don’t you go home and get some rest? You don’t need to stay here with me”
**
Evan immediately shook his head. “No, I can’t leave you alone. You need someone by your side-
”
He paused, then added, “Besides, I have to go on a business trip tomorrow. I’ll be gone for a few days, so I want to spend tonight with you.”
A business trip.
I smiled faintly, masking the bitterness inside me. “If you’re heading out of town, you should get as much rest as possible. I’m fine on my own now. Really”
He hesitated, torn, until his phone buzzed. That seemed to make the decision for him. He nodded reluctantly.
Still, he stayed until nine that night.
Before leaving, he held my cold hand in his, his eyes scanning my weary face.
“Baby,” he said gently, “we’ll have another child someday. Cheer up, okay? When I get back, we’ll take a vacation together. How does that
sound?”
I forced myself to smile. “Sounds great.”
He could tell my response was half–hearted, but he thought it was just because I was grieving the baby. He sighed, stroked my hair, and left.
What he didn’t know was that there was no future for us anymore.
The next morning, Austin came by while I was watching a video on my phone.
It was footage from a private investigator I’d hired.
In the video, Evan was with Sofia. His friends were helping her pack up her things. She was moving to another city today.
And Evan’s “business trip“? It was just an excuse to go with her.
Austin noticed the phone in my hand and snatched it away, his brows furrowed in frustration. “Why do you keep doing this to enjoy torturing yourself?”
As he spoke, he set the food he’d brought on the table and started arranging it.
“You need to focus on getting better,” he said firmly. “No one is more important than you.”
I smiled faintly. “Thanks. But you don’t have to keep checking in on me. If I’m hungry, I can just order takeout.”
yourself? Do you
He paused, his hands stilling as he looked up at me. His eyes held a mixture of hurt and confusion. “Are you saying I’m annoying you?”
I shook my head.
The truth was, I just didn’t want to owe him anything.
Austin smiled then, his almond–shaped eyes softening with warmth. “Good. If I’m not annoying you, that means I still have a chance.”
I lowered my head and focused on my food, pretending I didn’t understand what he meant.
2:29 PM
<
Back in high school, Austin had confessed his feelings to me. But back then, my heart belonged entirely to Evan, so I’d rejected him without hesitation.
I never imagined that after all these years–after he’d become one of the best surgeons at this hospital–he’d still have feelings for me.
But why?
What could he possibly see in me now? I was just a broken woman, betrayed by the man I loved and grieving the loss of my child.
Austin left shortly after, saying he had a few surgeries to perform. Before he went, he mentioned that he’d asked his housekeeper to bring me meals and told me to think about giving him a chance.
The moment he walked out of the room, I called a nurse and signed my discharge papers.
I couldn’t face the disappointment in Austin’s eyes, but I also couldn’t give him false hope.
And besides, it was time for me to put an end to this mess.
