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All Chapters of Never to Grow Old Together: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

Jonah's POV"I've already canceled the reception. Make sure you let the family and friends know."My fiancee, Lydia Winslow, slammed on the brakes."Jonah Stratton, are you actually serious right now? You don't even trust your own sister and your best friend anymore? Is that it?"She turned to look at me, her expression going stone-cold."Maybe you really should see a therapist. This isn't how normal relationships work. You won't even believe your own sister, so how am I supposed to prove anything to you? If there isn't even basic trust between us, what's the point of getting married at all?"Her phone rang before the words had even settled. The moment she saw who was calling, her gaze softened."I have somewhere to be. Go home and think about what you've done. I'll pretend today never happened."The black Mercedes pulled away without a second's hesitation. I flagged down a cab and followed her, unwilling to let it go.Half an hour later, the GPS tracker on my phone showed her

Chapter 2

Jonah's POV"I thought you were still upset and wouldn't show up. Don't blame my family. They were just looking out for me and things got blown out of proportion."But hey, this works out perfectly. Let me introduce you to everyone, and once it's all out in the open, there won't be any more misunderstandings."Luke threw an arm around my shoulders like it was the most natural thing in the world and walked me over to the group with a grin."Everyone, look who's here!"Every pair of eyes in the room locked onto me at once. The smiles on Lydia, Bryce, and Leah's faces froze the second they saw me."This is my buddy, Bryce Hollander. He works in the cardiology department at your hospital. You two must've crossed paths, right?"Bryce's eyes darted around before he managed a stiff reply. "Dr. Stratton, nice to meet you."His tone was polite and distant, as though we were meeting for the very first time. Luke didn't notice anything off and pulled me over to Leah next."And this is my

Chapter 3

Jonah's POVBryce furiously grabbed my arm and hauled me to the lounge upstairs while Luke's voice was still shaking behind us.This room used to be Lydia and my hideaway. The restaurant was close to the hospital, so whenever I got out of a long surgery, she'd bring me here to decompress.She knew I forgot to eat when I was busy, so she'd cook snacks herself and pack them in insulated bags. She knew my neck gave me trouble, so she'd bought a massage chair and put it right in the lounge. All those small, steady acts of kindness had made me believe this was what love looked like.But now the room had been turned into a nursery. Cradles, a changing table, and children's toys were scattered across every surface, wiping out every trace that we'd ever existed here."What she feels for Luke is the real thing," Bryce said. "What she felt for you was never love. She just mistook her gratitude for love because you cured her heart condition."I stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

Chapter 4

Jonah's POVThe next day, Lydia rushed home after getting the notification that I'd sold the house. She pulled me out of the pile of luggage I'd been packing."Jonah, what is this? You sold our home? Have you lost your mind?"Everything I'd been holding back finally broke loose. I let out a cold laugh and slapped her across the face.Home? She actually had the nerve to use that word?"You think it's fun making a fool out of me, Lydia?"The handprint bloomed red across her cheek, but Lydia didn't get angry. Instead, she softened her voice the same way she always did after one of our arguments."Feel better? Got it out of your system? I know I was wrong to lie to you. But it's been seven years. You can't just throw that away overnight. You saved my life. How could I ever truly betray you?"I didn't want to hear another word of it and turned to leave, but Lydia stepped into my path and suddenly lost her composure, throwing her arms around me and holding on like she'd fall apart if

Chapter 5

Third-Person POVLydia's eyes locked on the pool of blood, and the room seemed to tilt beneath her. She could barely keep her footing.Leah stared at the dark red stain, the color draining from her face in an instant. "Jonah's hurt? What happened? Why is there blood all over the floor?" Bryce froze too. He looked down at the wide smear of blood on the floor, and his hands started shaking. What had he just done? Why had Jonah bled that much? This wasn't just his best friend; this was his wife's little brother."I lost my head, okay? Milo was missing. Anyone would've panicked." His voice was desperate."And if he was hurt, why didn't he say something? He's a doctor—he knows how to handle himself. He probably staged this just to mess with us!"At the mention of the baby, Luke's eyes darted instinctively toward Leah, a flicker of guilt crossing his face. His agreement came out thin and hollow."Right. Dr. Stratton is an incredible surgeon. He'll be fine. We should just get to the

Chapter 6

Third-Person POVThe surveillance footage played on, and the audio from the hospital corridor was unmistakable."Is Milo really Lydia's baby? Luke, tell me the truth!""What does it matter whose baby he is? We broke up a long time ago, Leah! Don't think you can use what happened that night to come between me and Lydia!""I already had a DNA test done! Milo is my child! Lydia's baby was stillborn! Luke, I already betrayed Jonah for you. Now you want me to lose my own flesh and blood too?"We were together for six years. Six years, Luke! How can you be this heartless?"A few sentences, and the whole ugly truth between them was out in the open. The last thing the footage showed was Leah forcefully dragging Luke into a storage room at the end of the corridor.Neither of them heard Milo crying from the hospital room. Neither of them knew that he nearly choked from crying so long and would have died if a nurse passing by hadn't found him in time and rushed him to the ER."Leah, Luke,

Chapter 7

Third-Person POVThe pain exploding through Bryce's back was what finally made him understand what Jonah once said to him. "Leah inherited a good share of our father's coldness. Bryce, don't let your emotions get the better of you."He finally understood why Jonah tried to talk him out of rushing into that marriage."Bryce, I can't stop you from going after the love and happiness you want. But I need you to know one thing—no matter what happens, I'll be on your side, even if it means going against my own sister."At the time, Bryce was foolish enough to think Jonah was looking down on him, that Jonah didn't think he was good enough to be Leah's husband or to marry into that family. That insecurity took root and grew until it poisoned everything, dragging him deeper and deeper until the damage was beyond repair.He lay crumpled on the floor, the wounds on his back screaming, but it was nothing compared to the hollow ache in his chest."Jonah, I'm the ungrateful one. I'm the one

Chapter 8

Jonah's POV"I'm sorry. I'm the one who destroyed what we had with my own hands." Lydia raised her hand and started hitting herself across the face, over and over."I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Jo. I was selfish and ungrateful. Please, just give me one more chance. I want to make it up to you."The last of the evening light slanted through the window and fell across her disheveled figure, and I couldn't help but think of the first time I met her. It had been in a hospital too, in a ward just like this one.Back then, she'd had this brightness in her eyes even as she was staring down the end. That day, she took my hand and said, "Dr. Stratton, it's okay. If you can't save me, it's really okay."I'd just come back from a hospital overseas, still young and brimming with the kind of confidence that came with not knowing any better. I smiled and told her, "No. I'm absolutely certain I can cure you."But Lydia's condition turned out to be nothing like a routine heart case. The critical ale

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