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
RYAN BURKEShe still wanted the divorce. I sighed tiredly. Even after this accident, even after everything I did to save her life. She still wants to leave me. And I can't let that happen! I don't want it to happen. Being close to her in this most critical moment, where I almost lost her to death, jolted me into thinking about what I feel for her. I sat on the couch next to her and continued to review the latest projects of the company.Nearly two weeks away, and I needed to catch up to prepare and take on the new projects. I've received several persistent calls from Elena these days; she came here once last week. I didn't go out to speak with her and ordered James not to allow her approach. I know exactly what she wants from me.I had no way of taking her back into my life. If I did that, I could say goodbye to everything I was planning with Morgana. She would never stay with me if I had any connection with Elena, and I can't take that risk now. I hope deep down she understands. Morga
RYAN BURKEI drove to Menace Lounge, Stefan's bar, ordered a bottle of wine, and made my way to the private area of the bar. As soon as I sat down, I emptied my glass, hoping the drink would drown my sorrows, and nervously lit a cigarette. I dialed Stefan's number:"Hello, my dear cousin!" he said, his voice cheerful as always. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your call at this hour of the afternoon?""No sarcasm, Stefan!" I said, my voice still cold and restless. "Come to Menace. I need to talk to you.""Okay, okay, hotshot. I'll be there in twenty minutes."With a beep, the call ended. A few minutes later, he walked through the door of the private room with another bottle of wine."I thought it wise to bring more wine!" he said, sitting next to me and pouring a glass. "What's so important that you called me at this hour? Did something happen to Morgana?""No," I fell silent for a few minutes, gathering my strength to complete the sentence. "Elena is pregnant...""Damn it! Shit! Shit