“I’d like to report Dr. Elise Montague, a surgeon at your hospital, for unprofessional conduct…”
A bitter laugh threatened to rise in my throat, but I swallowed it back down.
So this was who he was now.
Not the man who promised to protect me. Not the man who once called me his home.
The man standing in front of me now didn’t even care enough to hear my side.
He finished his call and turned, walking out without another word. Zara trailed after him, but just before she stepped out, she looked back at me.
And smiled.
It was smug. Triumphant.
Like she was saying, 'See? Hayes is on my side. You? You’re nothing but a joke.'
...
The hospital didn’t fire me, but I got a warning.
Dr. Reeve found out what happened and didn’t waste a second stepping in.
“I applied for your early leave,” she told me the next day, voice firm. “You’re being reassigned to the Global Medical Relief team.”
I didn’t argue.
I packed up my things, filled out the paperwork, and went home.
...
Hayes still hadn’t come back. But his social media?
Constantly updated.
The first post that popped up was an ultrasound picture of Zara’s baby. The caption read, “Can’t wait to meet you, little one.”
The next post was a picture of a freshly painted nursery. “Hurry up and get here, baby. Mommy and Daddy can’t wait to hold you.”
He didn’t block me from seeing any of it.
Maybe he thought I wouldn’t care.
Maybe he wanted me to see.
I stared at the post for a long time before tapping the like button.
An hour later, I checked again.
I had been blocked.
I wasn’t angry.
Instead, I went to his profile and, with one final click—
I blocked him too.
From that moment on, Hayes Westbrook no longer existed in my world.
...
Third Person's POV
Across the city, Hayes sat in his office, staring at his phone. A strange unease settled in his chest, a feeling he couldn’t quite name.
His phone vibrated with an incoming call.
Zara.
He hesitated.
For the first time in a long time, he didn’t pick up right away.
Third Person's POV
Hayes Westbrook had been carrying a heavy weight of guilt for days now.
Maybe it was because he hadn’t visited Elise’s mother. Or maybe it was the way Elise had been acting so distant, like she was a million miles away, even when she was standing right in front of him. Either way, something was gnawing at him, refusing to let go.