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When Hearts Unravel

Page 177

by Victoria Lum

Pride sweeps through me as I press a kiss on her hair. “She wouldn’t want you to.”

Then a thought snaps into me. “Shit. I just gave her my marble, didn’t I?”

Olivia laughs, the sound bright and beautiful, and I chuckle too.

“I’m sure she appreciates it. She’ll probably find your mom and gossip about you.” She snickers.

Facing the grave marker, a new weight settles on my chest.

But this is a good weight—a responsibility, a promise.

A vow.

“Mia, I’m Rex, the man who loves your sister very much.”

Olivia’s breath hitches, but I continue, “I’m far from perfect, but I’m damn lucky your sister loves me back. I’ll treasure her, protect her, love her for all my remaining time on this earth. We’ll have adventures, big and small, and we’ll have a fulfilling life. If you’re up there, looking down on us, don’t worry about Olive anymore. I got this from now on.”

“Rex,” Olivia whispers, her eyes glistening.

Gently, I wipe the moisture from her eyes and motion to the bag at her feet. “Another small present.”

She blinks a few times, like she’s noticing the bag on the ground for the first time.

Grinning, she looks inside and fishes out a gift-wrapped box. Like a little kid on Christmas, she gleefully opens it, and I can’t help but laugh.

Her eyes snap up to mine. “Rex? Is this what I think it is?”

I nod. “Your sister’s camera. I found it. A collector bought it off the black market. Your film is still inside.”

Her lips tremble as she stares at the camera, her fingers grazing the body. “Th-Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“There’s more. Keep looking.”

She arches a quizzical brow, then pulls out an envelope from the bag.

Her eyes widen when she sees the return address. Her hand flies to her lips.

“It’s okay. Everything will be fine. Just open it.”

With shaky fingers, she carefully opens the envelope and pulls out a single sheet of paper.

I know what’s inside since Xav gave me a heads-up earlier. He told me I owe him a big one for giving me the letter instead of mailing it directly to Olivia.

It’s the ruling for her case from the OPMC. They’ve cleared her and reinstated her license. She’s free to practice again.

“How?” she whispers, her eyes roving over the text like she can’t believe it.

“A technicality. You sent me an email to end our doctor-patient relationship. While it isn’t as binding as an agreement, it shows a digital timestamp of the end of our professional arrangement. And the email was dated before the photos in Monaco.”

“B-But, we still had s-sessions?”

“I wouldn’t volunteer that info if I were you. Your friend Rhys and I had a chat, and while we don’t see eye-to-eye on things, he says he won’t say anything because you’re a damn good doctor. Then the fucker said if I make you cry again, he’d go to the committee and say I extorted you or some shit.”

She slowly looks up. “Th-That’s it? I get to practice again?”

I nod.

“Thank you!” She jumps up and down. I grin and pull her into my arms.