All Chapters of To Me, My Ex Is Dead: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

“What was it?” Nikki couldn’t remember.“Meeting my parents,” Felix’s voice lifted slightly with the urgency of it. “They’re in town, and they really want to meet you.”The hallway was quiet.Quiet enough that Nikki heard the sharp click of a lighter snapping shut at the far end of the hall.Short. Sharp. Like something breaking.When Nikki didn’t answer, Felix added quickly, “I just think you’re amazing. Don’t overthink it. My parents are here on vacation, and I thought it was a good opportunity. But if it feels too sudden, forget I said anything.”Nikki’s fingers tightened around the insulated bag.At the end of the hallway, the red tip of Sean’s cigarette still glowed in the dark.She didn’t look over.She didn’t have to. She knew he was there.“Okay,” she said. “Set it up.”Felix’s excitement was impossible to hide.“Really? Great. I’ll tell them.”Nikki nodded.Felix smiled wider. “I’ll drive you home.”At the other end of the hallway, the red glow suddenly dimmed.

Felix was at a loss for words. After a brief pause, he said, “I just thought that if we were going to be together, this was something we needed to consider. Once we got married, we would have to think about having kids. You can’t expect to keep working ER shifts while you’re pregnant.”Nikki’s voice stayed calm.“That’s what you want. It isn’t what I want. You never discussed it with me, and you don’t get to make that decision for me.”The tension at the table turned unbearable.Felix’s expression darkened. He had clearly been embarrassed, and his voice grew colder.“If I made you uncomfortable, I’m sorry. But everything I said was because I was seriously thinking about our future together.”Nikki felt her chest tighten.For some time, she had sensed that something between her and Felix wasn’t quite right. At last, she understood why.They wanted different things out of life.At twenty-nine, she couldn’t choose someone simply because he seemed like the sensible choice.Nikki

Susan’s hand paused as she held out the bowl of soup.The hesitation lasted only a second.Then she handed it to the housekeeper and turned back with a faintly puzzled look.“Nikki?”She said the name as though she had to search her memory for it.“You mean that girl who was in med school? What could possibly have happened to her?”Jeffrey took another bite of food without looking up.“That was four years ago. Why bring her up now? She is probably married with kids by now.”Their reactions were too quick.Too careful.It was as though they had agreed on those answers long ago.Sean didn’t say anything else.He lowered his eyes, picked up his glass, and took a sip of water.He didn’t press them. In this family, questions never led to real answers.But he could find the truth himself.The next morning, Sean left the house early.In the rearview mirror, the Ford estate grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the morning fog.His phone buzzed.A text from Susan

She ran toward Dr. Zimmerman’s office.The door was closed.She knocked a few times. When no one answered, she pushed it open.She was too desperate to notice that Dr. Zimmerman wasn’t alone.She went straight to him, her voice urgent and unyielding.“Dr. Zimmerman, the patient in Bed Three needs emergency surgery. Dr. Lee is still in clinic, and it’ll take him at least twenty minutes to get here. Let me take the case.”Dr. Zimmerman set down the file in his hands and looked at her.“Dr. Sanders, it’s not that I doubt your ability. But Medical Affairs is still reviewing your records. If you step into the operating room right now and something goes wrong...”“What exactly are you implying?” Nikki cut in, her voice cold. “I have handled more heart attack cases than anyone else in this department, and you’re still questioning my competence based on nothing but rumors.”She took a sharp breath.“You can investigate me all you want, but you don’t get to gamble with a patient’s lif

Dave stood at the far end of the hallway with Dr. Zimmerman beside him.He walked over at an unhurried pace. The sharp click of his dress shoes against the tile carried down the corridor.The color drained from Dr. Cooper’s face.“Dr. Xander. I... I didn’t realize you were here.”“I signed the authorization.” Dave stopped in front of him. “When you say she violated protocol, are you accusing me of authorizing it?”Dr. Cooper’s forced smile froze.“No, Dr. Xander. That’s not what I meant. I didn’t know you...”“You didn’t know?” Dave looked at him. “The Medical Affairs review isn’t even complete, and you showed up with a team ready to label her guilty. Dr. Cooper, when you say you didn’t know, are you admitting you failed to do your job, or that this was deliberate?”Sweat beaded along Dr. Cooper’s hairline.“Dr. Xander, I was only following procedure...”“Following procedure?” Dave’s voice stayed calm, but every word carried. “First, until this review is complete, Dr. Sanders