Chapter 1

"Babe, wear something nice tonight. I'm taking you somewhere special."Kristine read George's text and her heart did a little flip. Two years together and he still gave her butterflies. She was only eighteen, fresh out of high school, but George made her feel like the most important person in the world. He was twenty-five, brilliant, finishing his medical residency at the top of his program, and somehow he had chosen her."Where are we going?" she texted back."It's a surprise. Just trust me. I love you."She spent two hours getting ready, changing outfits four times before settling on the blue dress he loved. Her hands shook as she applied mascara. Something felt different about tonight. Bigger. Her mother had given her a knowing smile when she came downstairs, like she could sense what was coming.George picked her up at seven, looking handsome in dark jeans and a button-down shirt. He was nervous. She could tell by the way he kept adjusting his watch, the way his knee bounced as he

Last Updated : 2026-01-27

Chapter 2

Kristine's brain scrambled for a coherent thought. This could not be happening. Out of all the gynecologists in Seattle, how was George Mitchell standing in this room? Her George. Except he was not hers anymore and had not been for five years. She turned sharply to the nurse standing by the counter. "I think my HMO app messed up my appointment." The nurse looked confused. "Messed up how?" "I just..." Kristine's mind raced. "I wasn't expecting Dr. George." "Dr. George is one of the top gynecologists in the world," the nurse said, her tone almost reverent. "Are you sure you want to give this up, miss? His waiting list is usually six months long. You're very lucky to get in today." Kristine swallowed hard. The cramping in her lower abdomen pulsed as if reminding her why she was here in the first place. Her condition could not wait. She had already put this off for too long. And honestly, he did not seem to recognize her anyway. Maybe five years had erased her from his memory complet

Last Updated : 2026-01-28

Chapter 3

"I think you're confusing me with someone else."Kristine jumped down from the examination table, her legs shaky. She grabbed her underwear from where she had left it and shoved it into her bag, not even bothering to put it back on. The paper gown rustled as she moved, but she did not care. She needed to get out of this room. Away from him. Away from those eyes that saw too much."Long time no see, Kristine."His voice followed her to the door but she did not turn around. She could not. If she looked at him again, she might fall apart completely. Her hand fumbled with the door handle and then she was out, rushing past the nurse's station, past the waiting room, out into the bright afternoon sun.Her chest heaved as she leaned against the building wall. I can't believe that just happened. Her hands were shaking so badly she could barely hold her purse. I'm never going to see him again. Never. She would find another doctor, another hospital, another city if she had to.Her phone buzzed

Last Updated : 2026-01-28

Chapter 4

Kristine's legs felt like they might give out beneath her. Assist him? In front of an entire lecture hall full of medical students? After what had just happened at the hospital? This had to be some kind of cosmic joke. But Lucy's grade hung in the balance. Ten percent was too much to lose. And walking out now would only make things worse. "Fine," she heard herself say. George's expression did not change. "Come to the front." The walk down the lecture hall aisle felt like a death march. Every eye tracked her movement. Whispers followed in her wake. She could feel their curiosity, their judgment, their amusement at whatever was about to happen. When she reached the front, George gestured to the examination table that had been set up beside the podium. Of course there was an examination table. Because apparently the universe had decided today was the day to destroy whatever dignity Kristine had left. "Lie down," George said, and "Face up." Kristine climbed onto the table,

Last Updated : 2026-01-29

Chapter 5

Kristine's hand froze on the door handle. She wanted to keep walking, to pretend she had not heard him, but her feet would not cooperate. Something in his voice had stopped her cold. That professor tone was gone, replaced by something rawer. Something that sounded almost like the George she used to know.She turned slowly, forcing a smirk onto her face even though her insides were churning. "Now what, Professor George?"He stood by the examination table, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable. But there was tension in his shoulders, in the set of his jaw. He was not as calm as he wanted her to believe."Can you explain why you didn't show up for your follow-up appointment?"Kristine blinked. Of all the things she expected him to say, that was not it. "I've been busy.""Busy covering for others?" George's response came almost immediately, his voice sharp. "Or busy avoiding me for five years?"Heat flooded Kristine's face. The nerve of him. The absolute audacity. She folded her arm