로그인Elena didn’t answer right away. She just stood there, arms folded, eyes scanning Anna like she was trying to force something into place that wouldn't fit.Anna bristled against her gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that?” “You tell me,” she said finally. “You’ve been avoiding me for days. Leah says you're not okay, and you look like the world turned on you.”Anna exhaled. “I said I wasn't ready to talk, Elena.”“I'm your sister. You don’t get to shut me out.” “I don't feel like talking to you!” Anna snapped, scooting to the edge of the couch. She pressed her palms to her eyes. “Do you know what I've been dealing with all day? I'm exhausted.” Elena didn't back down. She paced a step, then another, tension coiling in her movements, her eyes sharp with everything she wasn’t saying and everything she was about to.“Is this about Mum?” “Let it be, Elena.” “Why do you suddenly have a problem with me talking to her, Anna?”Anna sank back into the couch, pressing her fingers to her t
It had been four days since that day. Since everything ended between Anna and Jason, since she had confirmed she was carrying his child. She’d stayed away from work despite her suspension being lifted, trying—and failing—to be her old self.She had told Elena she wasn’t ready to talk. She told Leah she was okay on her own, and meant it—or at least, she meant that she couldn’t handle more questions. She had kept her distance from Helen and Olivia, showing up briefly before retreating back into her apartment. She hadn’t decided if she would let Dr. Alvarez be her obstetrician, and the thought of deleting Jason’s number was still a battle she avoided. She had read through their old chats, stopping herself from sending a message a hundred times. Carrying his child felt foreign, a constant, unrelenting reminder. And she hated the effects—the nausea, the tenderness, the dizzy spells no one at the hospital could see.Now she was back at work, and she was certain that had only made things wo
Anna woke slowly. She felt the weight of her limbs first, then the quiet around her. It pressed in—no footsteps, no voices overlapping. Just the faint hum of something mechanical and the soft rustle of fabric when she shifted.Her brows pulled together slightly. Her lashes fluttered open, her vision blurry before it steadied. White ceiling, fluorescent lights dimmed low—a hospital room.Right, of course.A dull ache settled behind her eyes as she tried to move. Her body felt heavy, like it had been wrung out and left to dry.“You’re awake.”Anna turned her head slightly to the side. Leah's chair scraped softly as she leaned forward, brows drawn tight, lips pressed thin, eyes scanning her like she was trying to make sure everything was still there. Relief flashed across her face but it didn’t soften her expression completely. It sat there, tight around the edges.“What… time is it?” she tried to ask, but her voice came out rough, barely there.“Slowly,” Leah instructed as she helped he
Jason stumbled out of the elevator, one hand braced against the wall for balance as he kicked his shoes off. He tugged at the buttons of his shirt haphazardly as he continued into his condo, frowning at the loud clash of voices and game sounds spilling from his sitting room. His head hurt, his steps unsteady, and he looked like the kind of man he'd sworn he’d never become. Voices rose, laughter ringing out as he turned the corner, stopping dead in his tracks. Two heads whipped around to him, their smiles dropping the moment they took him in. “You're finally back,” Julian said, taking a sip from his glass of wine before setting it down on the glass center table. “You look like shit.” Cole wrinkled his nose at him, pausing the game on the massive wall-mounted OLED screen. He felt like one. Fucking hell. He didn't need them in his head right now. Or ever. Ignoring them, he staggered through the open-plan living area, dropped his jacket on the backrest, and flopped onto the minotti
“No—wait!” Anna jogged the rest of the way to the elevator, her shoulders dropping as the doors slid shut before she reached it. She glanced up at the panel, her brows pulling together when she saw B.The Basement. Why was Jason going down there? He usually parked out front or waited for Ethan to drive around. She bit into her lip, hesitation flickering as her eyes shifted to the metal door down the hall. She could catch him if she hurried now. Before she could talk herself out of it, she hurried toward the door, wincing slightly when it slammed shut behind her. She sent a silent thanks that the conference room hadn't been on the higher floors. Then another for those runs she forced herself to take when she wasn't on shift. Her phone buzzed in her pocket after three floors. She yanked it out, keeping her eyes on the stairs. She couldn't afford to trip or stop. “Hello?” “Annie.” It was Leah. “Word is the meeting's over?” “Yes.” Leah's voice lowered. “Why are you breathing lik
Anna pressed down harder on the nausea threatening to rise as she hurried through the hospital in search of Sierra. While she had urged Madison, Jack and Brooke back to work, she’d told Pierce to stay back and alert her the moment the hearing reconvened.No one she asked had seen her. “Sierra?” Her voice cut through the corridor as she pushed past a cluster of staff, her pulse thudding louder with every step. The hallways already reflected the fallout of the hearing; people broke off into low conversations, speculation buzzing under their breaths. None of them mattered.Anna turned sharply, scanning the adjoining corridors. Empty. Her jaw tightened. She had checked the resident's lounge, the restroom stalls—even the reception area, asking Leah if she'd seen Sierra leave. Think. Think. Think. Sierra wouldn’t go far. Anna’s gaze flicked to the far end of the hallway, toward the heavy metal door of the emergency stairwell. Of course.She crossed the distance quickly and pushed it op
The conference room smelled faintly of disinfectant and burnt coffee. Sterile floors, tired faces, institutional air. The blinds were half drawn, muting the afternoon light. Anna took the chair she’d been assigned, back straight, hands folded in her lap. It was her first time being a doctor under
Anna buried her face into Pierce's chest, her lips pressed into a hard line to hold back the sobs threatening to slip from them. The rounds sheet in her hand clattered to the floor but she didn't move. Pierce rubbed slow circles over her back. It did little to help. She found herself wishing Jason
The car's engine was long cold, time stretching since Jason had parked in front of Anna's apartment building. His leg bounced beneath the steering wheel, sharp and unforgiving, as if punishing him for still being there. He told himself to stop but it didn't. If anything, his heel thudded faster on
Jason leaned against the wall near the seating area, phone pressed to his ear. From there, he could see part of the nurses station, enough to catch movement and hear faint chatter, but most of it was obscured by counters and passing staff.“…The competitor is trying to fast-track their prototype. I







