CHAPTER 1: FREEDOM DESPERATION

QUINCY POV

The beeping of the heart monitor was almost soothing. Rhythmic. Predictable. Unlike of the rest of my life.

"Room 208 needs a refill on saline," Linda said, depositing a chart in my hands before disappearing down the hall in a whirl of mint-colored scrubs and exhaustion. I nodded, made a note, and moved along.

My twelve-hour shift had finally ended, and my legs were pleading to take a break. The soft soles of my shoes did not do much against the hospital floors’ hard tiles. I swept a stray black curl back behind my ear and let out a sigh. One more hour.

One more hour, and I could go fetch Eva from my sister's place and pretend to not be as tired and drained as I felt. Pretend to read her a bedtime story and sing that goofy "Goodnight Moon" remix she needed every night.

The door of Room 212 was ajar, and I hesitated in opening it.

"Hello, Mr. Charlie," I whispered, stepping into the darkened room. He was already asleep. I smiled, readjusted his IV line, and took a quick peek at the vitals screen. They were stable.

I scribbled a hasty note on his chart, turned to leave and leapt when I saw Lucas leaning against the wall in the hallway.

My stomach dropped.

He was dressed in a black suit, his tie loose and his face bearing that typical smarmy look which had always made my skin crawl. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He had no right to be here.

"Well, well. If it isn't the widow Harrison," he drawled.

I exhaled through my nose. "What do you want, Lucas?"

He pushed away from the wall and stepped an inch closer, moving slow and deliberate like I was his prey. And tonight, it seemed I was.

"Just checking to see if you're alive. You've been ignoring my calls."

"Yeah, because I have nothing to say to you," I said, sidestepping him. But of course, he wasn't dropping it so easily.

He followed my pace. "You know Nathan would've wanted the house to stay in the family."

I stopped and spun around to face him fully.

"I'm his family," I said coldly. "His wife. The mother of his child."

Lucas's jaw hardened. "Your time with Nathan was a convenience. We all know that."

My fists were locked at my sides, but I spoke levelly. "You're not getting the house."

A cruel grin spread across his face. "Not unless you marry me."

My entire body bristled. "You're sick."

He shrugged. "Or smart. Consider the possibilities. You get to stay in the house. Eva stays in a familiar environment. And I—" he ook another step, leaning forward, his voice dropping an octave, "—get what I want. A win-win."

I pushed past him, fuming. "You're disgusting."

"And you're desperate," he yelled after me. "Desperation has a way of making people consider options they might have otherwise overlooked."

I didn't turn around.

My hands were trembling by the time I made it to the locker room. I opened my locker and held my head in my palms, trying to swallow the lump growing in my chest. I couldn't cry. Not here and definitely not now.

Here we go, I thought.

The door creaked open behind me.

"Hey," Linda said gently. "Something wrong?"

I nodded too quickly. "Yeah. Just… I had a long day."

She didn't question it. Thank God.

I changed into my jeans and a large sweatshirt, tossing my scrubs into the hamper. My phone buzzed in my bag, and I took it out, praying it wasn’t another text from Lucas.

It was from my sister, Maya.

Maya: Eva's sleeping. She wanted to show you her drawing tomorrow. Said you look like a mermaid in it.

A real smile curled the edge of my mouth for the first time in hours.

Mermaid? Okay. With this stress acne and my frizzy hair I’d managed to put in a bun? Kids really did have a wild imagination.

I responded with a heart emoji and snagged my bag over my shoulder. Stepping out into the cold night air, an odd sense of calm washed over me. The stars were faint above the city haze, but they were there. Always. Like the monitor beeps in the hospital.

"Quincy?"

I turned. My boss, Dr. Ashley, was by his car, waving for me to come over.

"Hey," I said, putting on my best professional smile.

"You got a second?"

"Yeah."

He leaned on the door of his gleaming black car, folding his arms across his chest. "Would you be willing to take on a private care assignment?"

I blinked. "Private? Like home care?"

"Sure. Celebrity patient. He wants low-key coverage and even fewer questions. You're one of our star nurses, and I know you could use the bonus."

I hesitated. "Who is it?"

He smiled mysteriously. "Let's just say… someone you’d appreciate meeting."

I didn’t necessarily like the sound of that.

"Let me think about it—"

"Take the night," he said. "But I need to hear back from you by noon tomorrow. The pay is good. Really good."

I nodded slowly . "Okay. Thanks, Dr. Ashley."

As he pulled out of the parking lot and drove off, I let out a deep breath and picked up my keys. I don’t know why I felt like this whole scenario would change my life entirely.

But I wasn't so sure it’d be a good change.

When I got home, the apartment was too quiet. I dropped my bag on the couch and double-checked the locks on the front door. Then I fell into the cushions and shut my eyes for one second.

My phone buzzed again.

Another text.

Unknown Number: You should have married me when you had the chance.

I stared at the screen, a chill running down my spine.

I blocked the number.

Then I deleted the text. Too late, though. My heart was already pounding. Lucas was playing a risky game. And I was beginning to wonder for how long I could keep evading him before he actually attacked.