LOGINNicole's pov I woke up on a hospital bed with a dull ache behind my eyes. The ceiling light was dimmed, and a woman sat in the chair beside me with her chin resting on her palm. It took me a moment to recognize her as the colleague from the beach villa.I pushed myself upright so fast that the thin blanket slid off my knees."What are you doing here?" I asked.She looked at me for a while before she answered. "You don't remember anything?"I stared at the white wall in front of me and tried to pull the pieces together. A stranger had bumped my shoulder, and my purse had dropped. I had followed him down a hallway to the elevators. Then the elevator had jerked and the lights had gone out. I remembered my back sliding down the cold metal wall, and nothing after that.I covered my mouth with my hand. "Don't tell me I passed out in the elevator."She nodded slowly."Then why am I here?" I looked around the room, and the pale walls finally told me where I was. This was Mount Sinai, m
Nicole's pov The photograph stayed on my screen for a few seconds before I lowered the phone to my side. My fingers felt stiff around it. David's hand rested on that woman's shoulder, and I could not understand how he had ended up in that room.I searched my mind for an answer and found nothing.I pushed my chair back, stood up, and grabbed my bag from the desk.Before I could take two steps, a hand closed around my arm.Andrew held me there. I looked into his face and tried to read what was behind it. How much did he know about my life? Has he learned about Jayden? I hoped with everything in me that he had not. The silence between us stretched until I could hear the clock ticking on the wall. Then I took his fingers off my arm one by one."I need to leave," I said. "We will talk later."I walked to the door and pulled the handle, but it wouldn't open. I tried again, harder this time, but the door remained locked.Sam had locked it from outside.Andrew reached into his jacket and
Nicole's pov I did not move. The lock had clicked behind me, and my whole body understood that I was not alone in the room."Don't turn around too fast, Dr. Nicole," Sam said. He still wore that calm smile, but his fingers had stopped tapping on the desk. "Someone wants to say hello."Slowly, I turned my head. The corner behind the door was dark, with the blinds throwing thin stripes of light across the floor.A tall shadow stood against the wall beside the filing cabinet. It stepped forward, and the light touched grey hair, a dark suit, and a face I had spent years trying to forget.My father, Andrew.He held a brass key between two fingers, turned it once then dropped it into his jacket pocket."You've gotten thin," he said.My mouth opened, but my voice did not come right away. In the hotel lobby I had pressed myself against a wall just to keep him from seeing me. I still did not know what he had been doing there, and the question sat on my tongue like a hot coal, but I swallow
Nicole's POVI turned around so quickly that my back hit the cold wall beside the door. I pressed one hand against my chest, trying to calm my racing heart.I turned my head and found the female intern from the trip standing two steps below me on the staircase. She held a file against her stomach, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion."Dr. Nicole?" she called again.My eyes widened. "Keep your voice down!"I grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the stairs before she could say anything else. We hurried around the corner and squeezed into the narrow space beside the supply closet, hidden from anyone standing on the roof.She stared at me, clearly confused.I raised one finger to my lips.She immediately nodded.A moment later, the rooftop door creaked open above us.My heart jumped.Heavy footsteps sounded on the stairs. I pressed myself against the wall, barely daring to breathe. The intern stood beside me, clutching her file so tightly that her knuckles turned pale.The footsteps
Nicole's POV"Wait here. I'll be right back," David said before pressing a quick kiss to my lips.I smiled, but as he turned to leave, I caught his wrist.He stopped and looked at me. "What's wrong?""Nothing." I released his hand and slid down from the desk, smoothing my dress. "Take your time. I need to stop at the hospital first."I stepped closer and rested both palms against his chest."I'll come see you later.""What about dinner?" he asked.I looked up at him. "I'm still coming."A satisfied smile spread across his face. "Good. I'll be waiting."I gave him one last smile before turning toward the door. However, just as I reached it, something caught my attention.A tiny black lens was hidden beneath the edge of the table.My smile disappeared.Someone had planted a camera in the room.My fingers twitched with the urge to walk back and rip it out. The thought of someone secretly watching us made my skin crawl. Who had done this, and how long had they been spying on us?I wanted
Nicole's pov "What?" My eyes went wide before I could stop them.David studied my face for a moment, then took a step closer. "I mean it. I want us to start a new life together, as a family, with our children." He spread his hands in front of him as if he were showing me a house he had already built."Wait, wait, wait." I let out a short laugh that sounded thinner than I wanted. "You're joking, right?""I'm not." His voice stayed steady. "I really want you, Nicole."I looked at him for a few seconds. "Did Tamara sign the document?""You don't need to worry about her. I'll make sure she signs the papers." He said it flatly, like a man reading a fact off a page.I knew what that answer meant. As long as Tamara's name stayed on that marriage, there would be no new life for me and David. But I also knew that if I pushed back now, his mood would turn, and I would walk out of this office with nothing. Jayden's face flashed through my mind, pale and still against my shoulder. My jaw







