“Yeah,” Caleb said, nodding, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Like half an hour in the morning and maybe an hour at night? Then she’ll get to adjust to living with the woman who fucked her married father and left her mother. Real classy choice, by the way.”
I glanced up at Cameron’s face and felt a flicker of worry. I placed a hand gently on his chest. When he looked down and met my eyes, his green eyes softened, like a slow exhale, easing the tension.
“Walk away now, Cam,” I said quietly. “You’re angry because everything Caleb said is true. So walk away and own the choice you made. You chose to cheat. You chose to leave. You don’t get to be the good guy when you’re the one who walked away.”
Cameron closed his eyes, the movement slow and heavy with pain. When he opened them again, he said nothing. Instead, he stepped back, and my hand fell from his chest. Then he turned and walked away.
I watched him go before turning to Caleb. “We don’t talk about this, okay? I’m not ready yet.”
But Caleb, looking more emotional than I felt, pulled me into his chest and whispered the same words Anita had said this morning. “I’m sorry. For what he did. I’m so fucking sorry.”
I sighed and pushed myself away. Slipping on my white coat, I popped the AirPods back in and started jogging toward the hospital. I burst through the double doors and turned left without really paying attention to where I was going.
Then I crashed into something solid, something tall and firm. I looked up, feeling a little dizzy, as his hands caught my arms, steadying me before I could fall.
And there he was, the most gorgeous man I had ever seen in my life. Dark and tall, a striking blend of Black and White heritage, with a shaved head and a neatly trimmed beard. His full red lips curved into a smile that froze me in place.
Then he spoke. “Lovelybumpinginto you.” His eyes flicked to the name on my white coat. “Dr. Sloane Davis.”
Chapter Five
Cameron
Istood at the back, frowning, my eyes fixed on Sloane.
She was clearly avoiding looking at me. Maybe it was for the best. I knew exactly what I’d see if those dark eyes met mine: hatred, disappointment, anger.
And I deserved it.
But that wasn’t what troubled me most.
What truly unsettled me was the way Dr. Gabriel Carver looked at her.
The new surgeon. Orthopedics.
He had barely been introduced—five minutes in, a handshake, a smile—and already his gaze lingered on her like he knew her before. Every so often, his intense eyes caught hers, and when he smiled, she smiled back, her cheeks flushing slightly. They were sitting directly across from each other, as if they had chosen those seats on purpose, to exchange silent, meaningful glances.
Why did it bother me?
I had chosen Evie. I was hers now, wholly, outwardly.
Sloane was no longer mine to claim.
But something unnamed stirred in me, and it was sharp, piercing. My head throbbed with a pain I couldn’t make sense of.
Caroline, the Chief of Surgery—and my sister—wrapped up the meeting and leaned toward Robert, the Chief of Internal Medicine, murmuring something before her gaze landed on me. One look, and I knew. Caleb had told her.
The rest of the staff filtered out of the conference room, all in a hurry, as usual, to get back to the crowded hallways and patient rounds.
I was about to follow when Caroline approached me and said, “Cameron, stay. I need to talk to you.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Sloane hesitate, her gaze flicking between us, lips parting like she might say something.
But Caroline, who always seemed to have eyes in the back of her head, glanced over her shoulder and gave Sloane a sharp shake of her head.
She knew. And I knew too. That look on Caroline’s face, like she could barely contain her fury, meant I was in for it.
Sloane gave a slight nod in response and slipped out of the room.
