MORGANA FOSTERI turned and hurried to the living room as if I had committed the worst of sins. I raised my hand to touch my lips, feeling the numbness caused by the kiss. If it had lasted a little longer, I would have had sex with him right there. I would have let him take me as his.I placed my hand on my chest, feeling my heart pounding. All that energy was nervously stirring me up. I lay down on the sofa, covering myself with a thin blanket. The day soon began to break. Then I heard the cell phone ringing, the sound of the alarm clock.It was 7:00 in the morning, so I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and do my morning routine. I washed my face and tied my hair into a ponytail. I headed to the kitchen to prepare something for breakfast. I came face to face with Elliot wearing Beth's heart apron; I couldn't help but laugh."Good morning, miss!" he said cheerfully. "Eggs and toast?""You didn't have to make breakfast," I said, filling a cup and adding sugar."I wanted to thank y
ELENA KYLEHe was feeling jealous of her, and it hurt. At my door, I asked him to come in, and with an unfriendly expression, he did. I locked the door behind me, summoning courage to face the inevitable, but I wouldn't be at the mercy of his desires.I accepted their marriage because he had no feelings for her, and he didn't get involved beyond what was necessary, which kept me comfortable."Elena, out of respect for all these wonderful years we've spent together, I want to be completely honest," he said, sitting in the armchair near the door. I knew what he would say next, and I felt my body burn. "I don't think I'm the right person for you right now.""When?" I asked. I didn't want to cry, but it was hurting. Maybe more than I was expecting it to hurt.He looked down, sighing. I clicked my tongue but kept my face devoid of emotion. I felt my face burn and tears slowly cascade down, despite not expressing the pain it caused me. "You like her, don't you? Morgana? That's why you avoide
MORGANA FOSTERI stormed into the room, slamming the door behind me. I couldn't believe Ryan's capacity for hypocrisy. I loved him for three years of my life, and now that I found a decent person, he tells me he ended things with Elena because he likes me? Ridiculous!"I'm a joke to fate, it must be!" I thought, laughing at my own misfortune.I entered the bathroom now with my head swirling with emotions. I touched my lips, feeling traces of his mouth still there. Damn."He had to kiss me? That makes things so much more complicated," I murmured, staring at the wall dampened by steam. "Now I have two problems boiling in my head. Elliot and Ryan."The sound of the water falling was reassuring, it helped calm my mind and the whirlwind of emotions from the last twenty-four hours. I stepped out of the shower, drying my hair with the towel, when I saw Ryan sitting on my bed, calm and serene as if that were his natural habitat.I still hadn't put on clothes, just the robe and the lingerie I h
ELLIOT SHARONThe morning was calm in the emergency room. There were no surgeries, just a few people with minor scrapes and burns. It was a little after eight in the morning when the sirens blared; a trauma was arriving. It was going to be one of those days.I hurried, putting on my gown along with some of my interns, waiting for the paramedics to descend and present the case to us."What do we have?" I asked as the paramedic stepped out of the ambulance, preparing to lower the gurney."Car accident," one of the paramedics replied. "White female, 23 years old, 1.62 meters, 68 kilograms. Head trauma, compound fracture in the left leg, scrapes on the arms, and bruises on the abdomen. She was pulled out from the wreckage; it's a miracle she's still alive. The driver wasn't in the car when we arrived."I felt a cold sweat trickle down my face when I saw that the patient was Morgana. I was paralyzed, and a sense of panic ran through my entire being. For the first time, I didn't know what to
RYAN BURKEI was interrupted in the middle of a meeting by one of the assistants knocking insistently on the door. "Come in," I said, furrowing my brow and displaying my total discontent with the interruption.She entered, trembling, walking unsteadily. "Mr. Burke? There's a man calling from a hospital," she said, her voice faltering, " she said you're the contact for a patient there."Hospital? Who could be calling me? "Which hospital?" I furrowed my brow, intrigued."San Rose, sir." – She said."Put the call through." I said. She left, and the phone beside me rang almost instantly. The little doctor from the other night was on the line; a feeling of disgust filled the air. Then he said Morgana had been in an accident. I felt my veins run cold. My wife was in trouble and depended on me. Screw the meeting.I stood up, apologizing, and hurriedly left the room. I looked at the assistant and asked her to cancel all the appointments for that afternoon. I needed to be available if my wife n
RYAN BURKEAfter dealing with the formalities, she suggested I go home and rest for a while. She argued that Morgana would feel better knowing I was taking care of myself.I accepted her suggestion but opted to stay at the hospital. I walked through the empty corridors, reflecting on how my life had changed within a matter of hours.It was almost evening when two doctors came to give me news. My body was tense and tired. I couldn't leave for anything, not even to drink water or use the bathroom. I just needed news about her health."Mr. Burke?" the doctor said."Yes," I replied, rubbing my face to ward off sleep."I'm Dr. Jordana Mikael. I performed one of your wife's surgeries. It was hours long, we had a minor complication, but now she's sedated and stable.""Complication?" I furrowed my brow, feeling the agony filling my chest. "She's going to be okay, isn't she?""It's too early to say," she replied in a soft, solemn tone. "The postoperative period will tell. She lost a lot of bloo
MORGANA FOSTERTWENTY-FIVE DAYS LATERI opened my eyes, trying to process the surroundings. The lights were bright, the beeps of the heart monitor echoing in the room. A strong buzzing in my ears. I woke up feeling my head ache, probably the effect of the anesthesia wearing off, a taste of blood invading my throat, my hands and arms with all sorts of venous accesses, one of my legs suspended and bandaged. My abdomen was also bandaged and sore.I didn't die in the accident, but that didn't mean I was okay. I moved my eyes, mapping everything out, and saw Sorya lying on the couch beside me. Then I knew I was safe. I tried to move in the bed, without success, saw the door open and Ryan's toned body emerge. His eyes were staring at me, his beautiful blue eyes wide open, as somber and distant as I remembered.How many days had passed, I still didn't know. He walked along the bed and held my hand, his fingers were so warm and comforting. I tried to muster a smile, but I'm not sure of the eff
MORGANA FOSTERAn hour had passed already. Sorya was sitting beside me knitting some kind of blue-toned scarf, while on the other side, Ryan was on his phone. When the door opened again, Bethany's brown hair swayed over her face as she bounced in."Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!" she said, hugging me and joyfully shouting, the impact of her body against mine causing a slight ache. "You finally woke up!""Hey, blondie!" I laughed, responding to her warm embrace. "I missed you too!""Do you need more medication? Are you in pain?""I'm fine!" I glanced around, and Ryan was still sitting with his arms crossed on the couch. Sorya looked at him with a small gleam growing in her eyes. "Let me introduce you. This is Sorya, Ryan's mother, my mother-in-law. And that one over there, you've probably met before.""Yes, yes, I already know your husband," she said, making air quotes with her hands. "Hello, how are you?""Oh! You're my daughter's friend?" Sorya said. I stared for a moment, trying to