Page 10 of Medical Malpractice

Everything was out in the open, and I was lost. I had to get my head straight and focus on my priorities, all of which aligned with Gabriella.

She was all that mattered right then. She was all that ever mattered.

I dragged a chair into the bathroom, sat before her and gently lifted her foot.

“Tell me if it hurts,” I said before I started removing the glass shards from the bottoms of her injured feet.

It was meticulous work, but Gabriella didn’t tell me to stop.

We sat in silence for what felt like hours, the quiet absorbing all our hurt and frustration until she finally broke through that barrier.

“I was in love with you,” she whispered, her eyes staring straight through me. “And he never forgave me for it.”

I stopped, my world tipping over at her innocent yet soul-destroying confession.

“When?”

“All throughout university. But when you rejected me, I accepted it. I truly thought that was done. Nico—”

There was a distinct whooshing sound that roared in my ears. Something’s wrong.

“Rejected?” I asked. “You? Never, Ella.”

She must have registered my rattled tone as her gaze refocused on my face. Her brows scrunched in confusion. “I heard it, Leo, from your own mouth. ‘I told you, she’s a friend. Nothing more.’ That’s what you said to Nico.”

Urgency took over as I tried to find the source of those words, of that very statement. I came up empty.

“Context, please. Tell me what happened, because I can guarantee you, Gabriella, it’s impossible that I said that about you.”

She shifted back on the counter, her foot slipping from my grasp as she recollected her memories.

I methodically sifted through the scenario she described.

End-of-year party. Kitchen. Nico. Anna…

The graduation ceremony was complete, and I was pushing through the crowd to find my best friends.

I hadn’t seen them for the past week, everyone busy and booked, preparing for the end of term.

But we did it. We fucking did it! And I couldn’t wait to celebrate with them and give Gabriella the gift I had bought for her.

It was her grandmother’s necklace—once a precious heirloom that was lost in time, now found in an antique store, completely by chance. I had seen enough of Gabriella’s family photos to recognise the unique heart-shaped ruby pendent, and was shocked when I found the signature engraving on the back.

I couldn’t help but think my discovery was meant to be, that my finding was a physical manifestation confirming my affection and devotion to the woman I desperately loved.

The plan was set. All I had to do was follow through, which I fully intended to do on that most joyous day.

That was when I picked up on a familiar chuckle, and my gaze cut across the packed room to Nico. He was mid-laugh, posing in a photo with Anna.

A certain irritation bubbled in my gut from their close interaction. Nico had been hounding me nonstop to give Anna a chance, his latest tirade blasting me at the party the weekend before.

However, no matter how many times I shut him down, he never seemed to get the memo, continuing to push a narrative I wanted no part of.

I knew what others thought, what they whispered about Anna and me, but they were wrong. She was just a friend, and I reiterated that to the only person who mattered: Gabriella.

That was when I heard her voice, calling out for Nico.

I watched in slow motion as dread progressively invaded every vein, every minute cell, while all my dreams shrivelled up into dust.