Chapter 3

Jonah's POV

Bryce furiously grabbed my arm and hauled me to the lounge upstairs while Luke's voice was still shaking behind us.

This room used to be Lydia and my hideaway. The restaurant was close to the hospital, so whenever I got out of a long surgery, she'd bring me here to decompress.

She knew I forgot to eat when I was busy, so she'd cook snacks herself and pack them in insulated bags. She knew my neck gave me trouble, so she'd bought a massage chair and put it right in the lounge. All those small, steady acts of kindness had made me believe this was what love looked like.

But now the room had been turned into a nursery. Cradles, a changing table, and children's toys were scattered across every surface, wiping out every trace that we'd ever existed here.

"What she feels for Luke is the real thing," Bryce said. "What she felt for you was never love. She just mistook her gratitude for love because you cured her heart condition."

I stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

He didn't answer, just gave me a look that bordered on pity before pulling aside the projector screen to reveal an entire wall of photographs. Every single one was of Lydia and Luke.

They were skiing together in the mountains, walking along the coast at sunset, and taking a boat ride through the canals of some lakeside town.

"They've been together for three years," Bryce said, walking over and pointing to the wedding portrait at the center of the wall.

"Remember last year on your birthday, when Lydia told you she was away on a business trip and Leah and I said we were on our honeymoon? We all flew out to Verandel for their wedding, and we were there when the baby was born.

"That whole mess at the hospital was Lydia's doing too. The only reason we kept it from you was that we were afraid you'd find out who Luke really was and refuse to treat him properly."

I looked at Bryce as though I was seeing a stranger. I couldn't fathom how any of this could be coming out of his mouth.

Not long ago, at his and Leah's wedding, they'd handed their only bouquet to me and Lydia. They'd wished us a lifetime of happiness and even made Lydia promise she'd never break my heart.

And now Bryce himself was the one helping someone steal my happiness, standing here telling me I was the one who'd been cast aside.

A tear got loose before I could stop it, and I couldn't name what I was feeling. All I knew was that my heart had been stomped on and ground to dust, over and over, until there was nothing left to piece back together.

"Fine, then." I looked at Lydia and Luke as they walked through the door, and said it slowly, word by word.

"Be together. I won't stand in your way."

"Dr. Stratton…"

"Jonah, what the hell are you saying?"

They both stared at me, stunned, but I just pulled the ring off my finger and dropped it into Luke's hand.

"I wish you and your family a long and happy life together."

Bryce and Leah stood frozen. Lydia opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but I didn't want to hear another word.

I pushed the door open and walked out.