Maya's pov The tablet slips from my hand falling to the floor with a clutter. Gasps escape the nurse's mouth like whispers in the night. A nauseating feeling coils inside my stomach and my leg buckles.“What is wrong with you?” Someone asks as I back away. Cassian drugged me so he could kill someone. He drugged me so he could kill someone.The words loop in my head over and over till I feel a hand steady hand on my arm. “Are you okay?” Dr. Benson asks, a concerned look on his face.I blink. “Uh, I look around and everybody's eyes are glued on me.”“Yeah.”I stand and he helps me away from prying eyes. I climb on the bed exhaustion settling on my limbs. “How are you feeling?” He asks, feeling my forehead.“I'm fine, I just lost balance there.”He looks at me with hooded eyes, “Do you need anything? An Ivey drip for once.”I shake my head forcing a smile. “No, go check on real patients I just need to rest.”He nods walking away. I take out my phone looking through the contacts, the
Cassian's pov I pretend to leave and stand in the hallway. Maya's leg bounces up and down her hands folding and unfolding on her lap. She grips the fleece of her sweater tighter with each minute and the need to console her claws but I stop myself.She doesn't want me anywhere near her.But I can't bring myself to leave just watching how scared she is. Her dad doesn't even mean anything to me and yet here I am waiting to see him through a heart surgery. Hours later a doctor comes out and she jumps to his arms. He towers over her, the dark blue scrubs he wears filling his broad shoulders screaming competence. His beard is neat, his confidence effortless. Maya jumps in his arms when he delivers the news, his hand lingering on the small of her back too long. His eyes darken, his expression unreadable except for the smug tilt of his lips. This is the guy she probably wants, one that saves lives not take them. A man who fits perfectly into her little medical world. My fists clench at th
Maya's povThe car ride is silent, Mum's eyes are distant as she leans on the window, like she is thinking something out loud but is too tired to say it.“Why don't you buy a car,” she says, her eyes fleeting to the Uber driver. “A young girl like you driving through a big city like this is dangerous,” she says with a concerned look.I force a smile scooting closer to her. “I have some money saved up to buy one soon,” I mutter. I can't exactly tell her that I have my own chauffeur.She nods just as the car stops in the neighborhood Cassian sent me. It's fairly different from the old dump I lived in. The perfect cover for my perfect mother. We exit the car while I help mum with her bag. Shit I don't have the key.Me: What about the key? I send the message, my heart racing. He replies shortly.Cassian: The door is open.That's a fluke.I stop at the room number pretending to open the door and swing it open.The apartment is modest but clean, the kind a young doctor like me would live
Maya's povI secure the anesthesia mask over his mouth, adjusting the flow of sevoflurane. His eyelids flutter as the medication takes effect, and his grip on my arm tightens before it goes limp. I check his vitals — heart rate steady, oxygen saturation stable. He's under. The room is silent except for the rhythmic beeping of the monitors. My hands tremble slightly as I make the first incision. Focus Maya.You got this.A few hours later, I transferred him into the recovery bed, carefully repositioning his head. His breathing is even, but he hasn't woken up yet. I check his pupils with a penlight — reactive to light. That's a good sign, but still, my chest tightens. “He should be more responsive by now,” I mutter.His eyes flutter open, sluggish and unfocused. Relief washes over me, but it's short-lived. His skin is too pale his breathing too shallow.I shift a penlight into his left eye, gently lifting his eyelid. No clouding, no hemorrhaging. The cornea looks intact. The white dis
Cassian's pov“Are those enough?” I ask getting out of the machine. “Yes.”“Now, will you tell me what's going on?” I ask the suspense killing me.She takes a breath. “I think you have an artifact pressing on your optic nerve.”My chest tightens.“Artifact?”“I checked your first MRI and I saw a shadow or an artifact pressing down on your optic nerve,” she repeats.I clutch the first thing I could find trying to steady myself. “What does that mean?” I ask.“It could be a mass,” she says her voice wavering.I go rigid. “Cancer!”“I don't know yet,” she quickly says. “That's why I took these contrast scans to make sure.”I let out a breath rubbing my chest. “We can't panick yet so I have to go to the hospital to confirm for a few hours.”“That's easy to say,” I mumble standing up. “You're not the one who might be having cancer.”“Cassian,” she calls, her gaze soft.“It's fine Maya, go do what you have to. We will deal with this later.”“Please rest and don't do anything that might com
Maya's povHolden pulls me aside, his grip on my arm tight. “What is going on?” He asks, his eyebrows furrowed.“What do you mean?” I ask feigning confusion.His jaw tightens. “Don't play with me, I know my brother is sick.”My breath hitches. “How do you know that?”He cuts me off his gaze sharp. “One from the fact that he was bleeding from his eye and the other that you blabbed it out when you were in my room.”“I did what?”Shit ! The night Cassian slept with Roxanne.“Holden, I can't tell you what's going on,” I mumble, touching his shoulders.“Why not?” He asks, his voice strained between anger and desperation.“Is this why you are here?” He asks, looking around. “ To treat him?”I let out a breath. “Holden stop, I can't tell you.”“Why not?”“Because I signed an NDA.”His eyes widen as he steps back. “Maya.”“Holden, please,” I mumble. “Not right now.”I shut the door before he can respond. My legs give out and I sink in the bed. This cannot be happening.I grab a book going thr
Maya's povI finish sterilizing the surgical area and arranging the tools. After some hours of preparation and long tutorials on how to do it, I finally felt confident enough to go and ask him if I could poke into his eye with a giant needle.I trudge to his office thinking of ways to convince him when I very well know this shouldn't even be this difficult.A strong scented perfume lingers around his office and just when I'm about to knock the door swings open.Roxanne steps out with a wide grin on her face. She looks at me skeptically, pulling her bag to her elbow. “Evening Maya,” she says brushing past me.Cassian appears behind her and I freeze. She is back. “What do you want?” Cassian asks, looking to where Roxanne just walked past.“To do a Biopsy.”“Can it wait?”“Can your blindness wait?”He rolls his eyes. “Let's go.”“Have you eaten anything?” I ask as I scrub myself.“Not since last night.”I put on my mask standing next to him.“What is a Biopsy?”“It's a test to determine
Cassian's pov“Sir ma'am Maya is not cooperating,” Dimitri complains, his face set in a frown.“She won't let me teach or let me anywhere near her,” he adds. I place my leg over the other slumping on the chair.“So you have come to tell me you're failing at your job,” I mumble. He remains stoic but I see the slight twitch in his jaw.“No sir, I just came —”I cut him off. “I don't care what you do or how you do it. Not a single hair on her head should be touched.”His lips form a thin line. ”But she won't.”“I don't care, like right now she is at the hospital and you're here,” I mumble checking my watch. The red dot has been there for three hours.“That only shows me how incompetent you are, leave my office before I do something I will regret.”He runs out and I hope he is going to the hospital because if anything happens to Maya I will slaughter him alive. Someone knocks on the door and I groan.“Who is it?” I ask.“It's Leo sir, may I come in.”“Yes.”He steps in, his silhouette sha
Cassian's povMy phone trembles in my hand as I dial Maya's line again, it goes directly to voicemail and I feel my whole body shake. This is stupid. My hands clutch the steering wheel tighter as I meander through the streets my mind going to the worst case scenariosWhat if they got to her?By the thought of that I increase the speed. Nothing can happen to her. I thought the best solution was keeping her away from me so she could be safe but here she is, far away and still in danger. I reach the Bay area grabbing my guns. A fire truck sits there and an injured patient and a firefighter lies there dead. I sigh in relief when I find she's not in there.Did she come in this?I walk ahead looking for any sign of her, the air too still for comfort. I call her line again and this time it rings but she doesn't answer.“Maya, where are you?” I whisper looking at the buildings. The smell of gunpowder clings to the air, the last rays of the sun peering on the ground.The necklace. Did she take
Maya's povI roll on the bed a heavy arm draped against my waist. I look at my bare skin and the man sleeping next to me.Holden.Last night's events flood back and I bite down on my lip.What have I done?I look at the clock — 6;19, it's almost time for work. I slowly slip out of the bed each squeak of the mattress sending a tremor down my body. My bare feet find ground and I take the robe by the chair tying it around my body as if it will hide the shame clawing its way up my spine.What was I thinking?I shouldn't have let this happen.All of this was behind me. I step into the shower the warm water cascading over me, trailing a familiar path down my body. How could I have been so careless?Ten minutes later, my hair was tied back, my scrubs on my body. My fingers tremble as I tap Holden awake scared of what I might find. His eyes flutter open, his whole demeanor screaming sleepy.“Ugh, it's morning,” he says, his voice soft and husky.I twitch at where I stand, the need to get a
Maya's povSusan glares at me as I crane my neck to look through the transparent glass just in time to see a car drive off. Was it Cassian or am I hallucinating?God, I miss him so much I'm seeing him at work. Like he would ever come here.“Dr. Sanchez,” a fellow calls placing a baby in my arms. “Clean her up and take her to the NICU.”I look at the baby safely wrapped around a baby shoal and I envy it. God, what I would give to have no problems or worries.Especially of someone you can never have, be with. I find the nurse working there giving her the baby. “You can go inform the mother.”I nod trekking to her room. She lies inside the room clutching her empty stomach. “Your baby is safe in the NICU and she will be delivered to you shortly.”Her lips tug up. “Are you feeling fine?” I ask and she nods.“Where's my boy?”“Its a she,” I correct.“No, the one with the man that brought us here. He is two years old.”I look around. “Let me go find him.”I halt. “What's his name?”“Joe.”I
Cassian's povI clutch my phone tightly, my heart feeling like it will rip out of its ribcage. Maya.She just called me after all I've put her through. My thumb lingers over the call button, my hand literally trembling.Doesn't she hate me?What does this even mean?I bite my lip, pressing it but my heart shatters when it says it's disconnected.What if it was a mistake?Maybe she didn't mean to.I drop it on my desk rubbing my face with my hands. I let out a shaky breath. This is torture. How did I ever think I could stay away from her?I pick my jacket and car keys. I'm going to find her. I get into my car, turning it on and driving out of the estate. I look at the time and it's a little bit after midnight.Where am I even going?I stop the car by the side of the road banging my fist on the steering wheel. What kind of person am I becoming?“Maya,” I whisper, the name feeling like a burden I can't carry. I sit up late trying to imagine my life before her and I can't even fathom thre
Maya's pov“You should come,” Benta whines as I close the locker, fixing my jacket.“Yeah, you came back and have been working nonstop, you need to have some fun,” Liv adds, swaying her hips.I chuckle pulling the bag to my shoulder. “Ugh, don't you even dare say no tomorrow we don't have work,” Benta interjects.I smile nodding. I need some fun. They all cheer. “We are going to the club,” Lisa hums.We leave for the bar, the clock at ten p.m sharp. My legs feel a bit sore but I think I can hold on for some hours. Find my footing around men without Cassian.The club is packed by the time we arrive and we weave to the open bar. “Tequila shots and keep them coming,” Benta says, tapping the counter playfully.The guy smiles, pouring us three glasses. I take mine downing it in a go. “You ain't playing,” Lisa says, shoving me slightly.I chuckle looking at the guy. He winks and my cheeks warm. “He is really hot,” she whispers. I pinch her thigh. “Not happening.”“I can ask for you when he
Cassian's povI remove the pods from my ears watching Holden's figure meander inside the house. He wears an ugly brown hood and washed-away jeans that make him look homeless.“Holden,” I call grabbing his attention. He looks up, dark circles covering his eyes.“Where have you been?” I ask my voice echoing around the house. He sighs touching his temples. “Why are you being so loud?”He brushes past me and I grab his arm. The stench of alcohol wraps around him and my stomach twists. “Seriously, where have you been?”He unclutches my fingers from his arm. “Just around.”I trail his face. “Are you okay?”Something etches in his face. “When did you start caring about my well-being”“When you decided to disappear for more than three weeks,” I counter.“It doesn't matter, I'm back.”Before I can ask him more questions he moves to the stairwell climbing up. I watched him until he disappeared through the hallway.I huff rubbing my hand over my forehead. What is going on with him?I look throu
Maya's povI scrub my hands smiling through the enclosed space. I never thought I'd be back here.“Mrs Sanchez,” Dr Ben calls, sliding to the tap next to me. I look at him briefly before focusing my attention on the operating room — it's beautiful.Tools are arranged properly in basins, minimal fluorescent lighting, and nurses surround the patient. It's like heaven on earth.“Mrs Sanchez,” he repeats his voice, breaking through my thoughts. “Uh, did you say something?”We walk inside the scrub nurses helping us with the surgical clothes. “I asked if you prepared for the surgery.”I nod standing across from him. “Then tell me what it's about.”“We are performing a coronary artery bypass grafting, to restore blood flow to the blocked artery with the vessel we take from the patients leg.”“Okay, so what is the first step?” He asks, his piercing blue eyes pinning me in place.I clear my throat. “You make an incision on the chest.”He glares at me. “The median sternotomy, then you split th
Maya's povDear Maya Isabelle Sanchez,I am glad to inform you that you have received a position back at Mercy Grace Hospital as a resident. After reviewing your case file and after much discussion with the board, we have concluded that your termination was unwarranted. You are a talented surgeon and one mistake should not shape your whole career. We would be honored to have you return and work for us so that we can nurture you into the fine surgeon you've always wanted to become.Chief Surgeon,Xavier McKinney.”I re-read the email again my hands trembling.“Am I dreaming?” I chuckle softly, overwhelmed in disbelief.Do they want me back?They want me back.I clutch my phone tightly and for a split second I almost run to show my parents but I remember they don't know the predicament that I was in.What I lost. What I gave up on.But that doesn't matter anymore I can be a surgeon again.Cassian.I shake my head.“No, he is yesterday's news.”This is a second chance to get what I want
Cassian's povIt's been a week since Holden vanished, a week since I forced Maya out of my life. I push down the heavy feeling looking at one of the guards.“Any sign of Holden?”“Not yet sir.”I huff looking at the plans on the table just as Leo steps in a smirk on his lips.“Did you do it?” I ask the sound of the lawn being trimmed filling the space. I look at the Gardner who mindlessly goes back and forth and I scowl.“He was very eager to hire her back.”Good.“I hope you cleared anything that can lead back to us.”He smiles. “Of course.”The silence stretches before I speak again. “How much money did you offer them?”“One hundred million.”I nod something crossing my chest. I wonder what Maya would think if she found out about this.“I thought you wanted her as far away as possible?” He asks and my chest tightens.“She will just get her job back, I'm not planning on getting her back in my life.”Not even if it will kill me.He nods, stepping beside me. His eyes scan the plan unce