Chapter four

Reyna’s pov

Shit! Could it be my ex’s dad??I prayed it was a coincidence or whatever it was, everything was just an accident and I wasn’t going to see him again so it didn’t matter . Besides only I knew so it wasn’t much of a big deal.I stood in front of the mirror, tying my hair back into a bun that would last me through the long hours ahead. My scrubs were crisp, my ID card clipped neatly at my chest. Still, the girl staring back at me didn’t look ready-not for work, not for apologies, not for the mess her life had become.

I pressed my palms against the sink, took a deep breath, and told myself to move. Tonight wasn’t about me. Tonight was about getting through another night shift without falling apart.I grabbed my bag, and dashed out of the apartment

I entered the hospital,my eyes puffy from a grand total of two hours of sleep, and my brain was still replaying Marcus’s voice that baritone “I could trust you”, it was the only thing that could keep my mind busy.I needed more rest and more time to heal.. And yet, duty called. I couldn’t skip that shift, I couldn’t risk losing my job too.

Bavaria thrived on its order-protocols layered upon protocols. Here, nothing came easily. Whether in government offices or university hospitals, one had to know the right process, the right signature, and often, the right person to even be considered.

For me, that “right person” had been Jeremy. Without his connection, I doubted me or my best friend would ever have made it into one of Bavaria’s most competitive university hospitals.

St. Gabriel’s Medical Center, where I had spent years building my career, suddenly felt hostile. Worse still, Celine was here. My best friend. My “sister.” My Judas in scrubs.

I found her at the nurse’s station, filling out a patient chart, her glossy black hair falling in waves. She was tall, slender, with those almond-shaped eyes that managed to look innocent and cunning all at once. Her smile ,God, that smile : had gotten us both out of trouble more times than I could count. Only now, when she glanced up and saw me, it didn’t feel like warmth. It felt like venom wrapped in sugar.

“Hey,” she said softly, almost too softly, as if volume could erase what I’d seen with my own eyes.

I ignored as I walked past her.

We worked side by side in silence for a while. I could feel her sneaking glances at me, maybe checking if I’d break down, maybe hoping I wouldn’t. My shame was a physical thing, heavy in my chest, but I wasn’t sure if it was shame for her betrayal… or for what I’d done last night with Marcus.

Every time I bent down to pick up a file, my body ached, not just from exhaustion. A certain ache reminded me of tangled sheets, strong hands, whispered words. God help me, I had enjoyed it. And now I was working next to the woman who had been enjoying my man. We were a tragic little symmetry, she and I.

By mid-shift, I thought I might survive the day. Until Jeremy walked in.

Yes. Jeremy. The audacity of this man could fuel an entire solar system. He strolled into the ward in a pressed navy shirt and slacks, sleeves rolled to the elbow, like he was on a business magazine cover shoot. His hazel-green eyes darted around until they landed on me, and my stomach dropped.

“Hey, babe,” he said, with a smile that could melt glaciers. He actually said babe.

I stood behind the counter, a patient chart clutched to my chest like a shield. Babe? Really? After you had your tongue down Celine’s throat on your Egyptian cotton sheets?

Celine immediately busied herself with a stack of papers, suddenly fascinated by the alphabet. Coward.

“Can we talk, Reyna?” Jeremy asked, stepping closer.

My mouth went dry. “In case you missed the giant neon sign outside, this is a hospital, Jeremy. People are literally dying.And I don’t want to talk about this with you, you already initiated the idea of us breaking up , so here we have it.

Jeremy sighed, running a hand through his perfect hair, that casual gesture I used to find sexy. Now it made me pissed.

“Look,” he lowered his voice, leaning across the counter, “things got… complicated. I just want to explain”

“Oh, please,” I cut him off. “Spare me the TED Talk. I’ve seen enough. I don’t need any explanations.”

Celine flinched at that, though she didn’t lift her head. Good. Let her squirm.

Jeremy’s jaw tightened. “It wasn’t like that.”

My laugh was sharp, humorless. “You’re right. It was exactly like that. Funny thing, you didn’t even bother locking the door. Almost like you wanted me to find out.”

He blinked, taken aback, as if the idea had never occurred to him. His silence told me I’d hit too close to the truth.

The ward phone rang, saving us both from saying something nuclear. I grabbed it quickly , mumbling into the receiver, nodding along, even though I barely heard the words. Anything to avoid his eyes.

When I finally hung up, Jeremy was still there, stubborn, handsome, infuriating. “Please, just give me ten minutes,” he tried again. “We owe each other that much.”

I looked at him, really looked,I no longer saw him as my boyfriend, not as my future, but as a stranger in expensive clothes. Yes Jeremy came from a very wealthy family.His dad was a neurosurgeon and an entrepreneur whose businesses Jeremy was managing . According to Jeremy, his father had come to the hospital a couple of times but I was always absent.Jeremy had to leave. His sight disgusted me. I couldn’t stand him anymore but I couldn’t leave the work premises.

I just walked away, heart pounding, leaving him standing there with his broken excuses.He really didn’t owe me any explanations.