Lahat ng Kabanata ng Seven Years Wasted: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 8

Leo said that wherever I was, that was where his home was. It was half past eleven by the time I got back to the apartment, but Leo wasn’t home yet. My phone rang. Leo’s voice came through the phone, tender and apologetic. “Ayla, Nina suddenly felt dizzy. I took her back to the estate to rest, so I won’t be home tonight.” “Alright.” I didn’t press for questions. Leo paused, assuming I was sulking with jealousy like I had in the past. He softened his tone to calm me down. “I promise. This won’t last. Once we’re married, things will be better.” My throat tightened with emotion. “Okay.” I knew that there was no going back. We were never going to get married. With Nina’s sweet voice drifting in the background, Leo didn’t say much before hanging up. I swallowed the lump in my throat and scrolled through my phone for the Waldorf’s number. “Hello there, this is Ayla Sinclair. I have a wedding scheduled for next week. I’d like to cancel the venue for the wedding and recep

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 u

As color drained from Nina’s face, she snatched the medical report from the nurse and tore it up. “What ridiculous lies! I have medullary cancer, and it’s advanced stage!” Eyes welling with tears, Nina turned to Leo and reached out to pull his sleeve. “Leo, they must have made a mistake. I can show you my old medical records.” Leo met Nina’s gaze. “Nina, we have some of the best medical care in the country, and you’re telling me that the doctors got your diagnosis wrong?” Nina, her face ashen, clutched Leo’s sleeve shakily. Leo pulled his sleeve from her grasp, his voice raspy. “Why did you lie to me?” Nina finally snapped. Her face twisted. “How else was I supposed to become the Donna of the Falcone family? Ayla’s just an ER doctor. What does she have that I don’t? She can’t even compare to me.” “She saved my life!” An elderly man stepped forward, supported by his family. “My heart stopped. Dr. Sinclair worked on me for more than an hour and brought me back.” “She

Before long, the authorities were alerted to Leo's attempt to buy up the camp's medical supplies and interfere with the local healthcare system. He was deported. On the day of his deportation, he made one last stop at our camp. He was thinner, paler, and visibly exhausted. The commanding presence he once carried was gone. From where I stood, he looked almost like a defeated stray, lingering outside the camp and watching me from a distance. I was too busy seeing patients to notice, while Adrian stood right beside me, handing over instruments with perfect coordination. We worked so well together, oblivious to Leo’s presence. Nevertheless, Leo didn’t stay long. He was soon escorted to the airport.The days that followed were still hard, but I found joy in my routine. As I fought to snatch lives back from the jaws of death, a truth dawned on me. I hadn’t chosen emergency medicine because of a comment Leo had made. I did it because I valued human lives more than anything in the