Chapter 4

In the end, Christine bit her tongue, but the sympathy in her eyes said it all.

It hit Leo that he had gone too far. Freaking out a little, Leo stepped forward to take my hand. “Ayla, I didn’t mean it that way…”

I shied away from his grasp.

“It’s fine.”

I approached Nina’s feet and leaned down to examine her, desperate not to let anyone see the tears brimming in my eyes.

Maybe this was for the best. I would let myself feel every bit of this pain before I walked away. After that, there would be nothing left to grieve.

While I was bandaging Nina, Christine was called away to see another patient, and Leo stepped out of the ER to take a call.

It was just Nina and me in the treatment room.

Once certain that Leo was out of earshot, Nina lifted her foot without any trace of unease. “Honestly, it was just a tiny sprain, but Leo lost his mind over it anyway.”

I packed up the equipment, not taking the bait.

Nina chuckled. “You sure put up a lot just to marry Leo. You gave up the ring and the anniversary date. What’s next? Are you going to let me stand in at your wedding, too?”

I carried on without missing a beat.

“Leo did mention that he felt more relaxed around me. You know, he’s voiced his issues about you with me, saying that you’d walk out on your dates to get back to the ER and how you always reek of disinfectant. Ew.”

Not feeling the least bit embarrassed, Nina grew cocky in my silence.

She stared at the ring on her finger. “A pathetic ER doctor could never be the Donna of the Falcone family.

“Don’t worry, though. I will take good care of him for you.” She lifted her chin, her voice sickly sweet.

“I know him well enough to know which side of the bed he prefers to sleep on.”

I placed the instruments back on the tray, my face betraying nothing. “If you’re done, please leave the bed for the next patient. Thank you.”

When I left the hospital, Leo was still with Nina as she had her X-rays taken.

My phone buzzed.

It was a message from Leo. “I shouldn’t have said that. Don’t take it personally.

“Nina needs to stay in the hospital for a few days, and I’m going to be there for her. We can reschedule our engagement photos. Don’t be mad at me, okay?”

I stared at the line of text, feeling hollowed out inside.

It was perfect timing since I was set to report early for deployment.

I shot back an “Okay”, then blocked both him and Nina on every possible platform.

One by one, I checked off every item on my list—donating my old things, packing my bags, and ending the lease on the apartment.

The morning I left was as cold as ever.

I boarded a flight to Adubrica alongside other doctors and medical volunteers assigned to the mission.

...

Meanwhile, the Waldorf ballroom was packed with wedding guests.

Leo stood at the center of it all in a custom-tailored suit. Nina, dressed in white beside him, looked every bit the bride as the two of them welcomed their guests.

Following an old Sicilian family tradition, Leo hadn’t seen or contacted me in the days leading up to the wedding.

With the ceremony about to begin, I was nowhere to be found.

Furrowing his brows, Leo sent his men to find me while instructing the emcee to keep the guests entertained and stall for time.

Just then, the hotel manager hurried up to him.

“Don Falcone, there’s something I need to confirm with you.”

Keeping his gaze glued to the entrance, Leo uttered in annoyance, “Can’t this wait until after the wedding?”

The manager handed over a file, looking utterly uncomfortable.

“Um… Ms. Sinclair canceled this venue for the wedding a week ago.”

Taken aback, Leo frowned. “She never told me.”

The manager squirmed. “Don Falcone, she has gone through with the cancellation. The wedding was canceled, yes. But the venue and reception services had already been secured for today, so everything was kept as planned.”

Leo’s men reported back in a fluster.

“Don Falcone, we called the hospital… They said that Ayla has left.”

Blood rushed from Leo’s face.