로그인Jason walked around the desk, sank into the seat and pressed play. Silence settled over the office, thick and expectant. The young doctors introduced themselves—the interns Anna had mentioned—before launching into their experience. Apparently they were on night duty and had sneaked off to an empty nurses station to record the video. Jason's eyes scanned their faces, reading the tension in their expressions, the restless energy in their movements. They were chaotic—talking over each other, rambling—which made it clear this was impulsive. Anna had made them feel comfortable enough to ask questions, to admit when they didn't know. And to keep going anyway. “She took us under her wing.” “Chief is selfless. She takes on shifts when others have emergencies.” “Remember when she'd pull a thirty-six-hour shift without breaking a sweat?” Jason's gaze zeroed in on the young doctor—Sierra, she'd introduced horse as—the one from the viral clip as others kept talking. She had been quiet sin
It was dark by the time Anna dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom. She filled the tub with warm water, threw in her oils and soap—and sank into it until only her face broke the surface. Exhausted, she lay there, unmoving, until the water turned cold. Then she stepped out and headed straight to her room, water droplets trailing behind her. She moved in a haze, her movements lethargic as she threw on a baggy t-shirt with shorts, then proceeded to apply her moisturizer. She stared at her reflection as she rubbed the face serum into her skin in slow circles. Her phone buzzed with a message somewhere on the nightstand, but she ignored it.Her bones were heavy. A splitting headache throbbed at the back of her head, and dizziness lingered behind her eyes. She pushed to her feet just as her bedroom door creaked open and Leah appeared. “You done crying in there or do you want snacks first?”Anna paused, her lips parting as she stared incredulously at Leah. Hadn't she left? Leah
Jason told himself he wasn’t thinking about Anna. He told himself that several times before the lie stopped sounding convincing.He had spent the past few hours running through possible courses of action in his head, staring at his phone as though it might magically dial her number itself—all while Travis preached in front of the big screen. He'd barely heard a word, and that annoyed him to no end. “What do you think, Mr. Knight?” Travis had asked with an annoyingly wide smile after his rather… decent presentation. He'd cleared his throat, searched his brain, and could only come up with, “Thank you for the thorough analysis. We'll get back to you.” Him—Jason Knight, notorious for his unnerving presence in boardrooms and conferences—had said just that and then left. Ethan informing him that he'd recorded the presentation—as though he knew Jason hadn't been listening—only made the irritation under his skin worse. He was back at his office now, the floor-to-ceiling glass wall behi
“NO.” One word spat out through clenched teeth. Anna grabbed the duvet and stormed past Elena, their shoulders bumping. Elena followed. Julian's head tilted to the side as he watched. “She said she couldn't reach you, so she—” Elena stared hesitantly. Anna scoffed, cutting her off. “I wonder why? Oh, right. I blocked her.” “You blocked her?” Anna said nothing, focusing on draping the duvet over her bed. Anger and hurt twisted inside her, mingling with a gnawing sense of inadequacy. Elena stepped closer as she tucked in the corners. “You can't avoid her forever.” “I very much plan to,” Anna snapped. “She's our mother no matter what, Anna. You can't run from that fact,” Elena said firmly, frowning. Abandoning the duvet, Anna snapped around to her, face contorted in anger. “That's so easy for you to say,” she spat. “You're not the one who endured her…” Anna paused, biting her lower lip. “Go on, say it.” Elena moved closer. “What? You were the one who carried it all?” She chall
“I'm not trying to judge you, Anna.” Julian moved closer. It certainly felt like he was—just like everyone else. Jason was his brother, and he'd sounded angry on his behalf that morning after the wedding. She wanted to ask if he'd been talking about the high school incident. The bruises he mentioned… she hadn't seen them on Jamie, had she? Or was it something that happened after high school? Was that why they moved?“I know you two have history—one that scarred him. And if I'm being honest, when I first saw that reunion clip, I was upset.” He inhaled deeply. “But then I realized the Anna then wasn't the Anna I know.” Anna shook her head. “You've every right to be upset, Julian.” “Well, I'm choosing not to be. For myself, and because I know everything Jason said wasn't just about what happened between you two. It's… more than that.” Anna frowned as she stared up at Julian. Was he trying to say there was another reason Jason was doing this? “More than that?” She asked, hoping Juli
Anna sat huddled on the balcony lounge, duvet heavy around her as if it could shield her from everything else. Her fingers traced the backrest. Few days back, barely two weeks ago, she'd been cuddled with Jason in this exact same spot. She'd felt safe then. Seen. Now, she felt… unmoored, as if the ground had shifted beneath her.Pulling her hand back under the duvet, she rested her head on her knees and watched Austin's skyline. The sun had slipped below the horizon, leaving the sky a bruised blend of indigo and fading violet. Downtown Austin rose like dark sentinels, windows glowing warmly as streetlights began their quiet glow.But the beauty didn't reach her tonight. She shouldn't be thinking about him—she'd just been suspended and in need of a plan—but all she could think about was Jason. Her stomach churned at the thought of him. Wondering if he'd really been behind it all. If he would go that far to ruin her. Her chest hurt. Her head throbbed. She felt dizzy, nauseated, and w
For a full second, Anna didn’t move—or maybe it was longer. She couldn't tell. She just stood there, fingers still wrapped around the doorknob, staring through the keyhole as if her brain needed extra time to process the fact that Jason was actually on the other side of her door.Not a memory. Not
Anna tried to keep her eyes on the road, but they kept sneaking peeks at the silent man beside her. Her fingers tightened around his jacket and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She wasn't used to this… silence between them. Even at Elena's wedding, when they were still in their ‘I can't sta
The next day was a blur… until that sharp ding of the doorbell. It was a Sunday, and Anna was supposed to be on shift. But she'd stayed up late watching movies—or rather, pretending to, only to wake up with a headache. So, she'd forced herself to eat, took an aspirin, and actually called in sick.
One minute, she was crying in Jason's arms, the next, Anna was pushing away, wiping her face and asking him to drive her to the hospital. He did. Told Ethan he could go home. The moment they stopped in front of the hospital, she was out, rushing through the lobby. She didn't notice the looks thr







