The Accusation

Gigi face fell as she stepped back, “What…what do you mean?”

I tried to keep my face indifferent as I saw the hurt that passed through her face. It was hard to, especially knowing the man in there used to be the man I loved.

“It means, he might forget you and every situation he was in.”

“No…no…that's not…I don't believe…it can't be.”

I wondered if she was going into shock, “Unless,” she shrieked, her voice slicing through the air like a blade. “You did this! This is your fault!”

I blinked, the words hitting me like a slap in the face. “Gigi, calm down. I did everything I could to save him. He’s stable now, but—”

“Stable?” she cut me off, her hands trembling as she pointed an accusing finger at me. “You call this stable? He could die! Or worse, you said he might have amnesia! How could you let this happen? You were supposed to be a surgeon, a doctor, and you couldn’t even do your job properly!”

I stood there, trying to maintain my composure. I knew this wasn’t about me. Gigi was scared, and fear made people lash out. But her words stung nonetheless. “Gigi, I know you’re upset, but you need to understand that I did everything in my power to—”

“You didn’t do enough! You should have—” Her voice cracked, and for a moment, I saw past the anger to the desperation beneath. “You should have saved him without any of this... this mess! He’s going to wake up and not remember me, not remember anything, and it’s all your fault!”

I exhaled slowly, willing myself not to snap back. “This is not anyone’s fault. Rowan was in a severe accident. The fact that he’s even alive right now is a miracle.”

She shook her head, her hands clutching the sides of her head as if she couldn’t handle the truth. “No... no, this can’t be happening. He was fine this morning, and now—” She trailed off, her eyes wide with panic.

I took a step closer, trying to offer some sort of comfort. “Gigi, listen to me. Rowan is strong. He’s going to fight through this. But we need to give him time to heal. I know this is hard, but—”

“Don’t you dare patronize me!” she spat, stepping back from me as if my very presence was offensive. “You don’t care about him! You never have. You’ve always hated him. You think I don't know you? It must be Rowan Karma to have you as his surgeon!”

I flinched at her accusation, my heart pounding in my chest. I hated when they talked about my past. I hated it.

I loomed around, people were looking in. Mrs. Isolde was nowhere to be found. I needed to calm her down before things escalate more than I wanted it to.

“Gigi, this is not the time for personal attacks. I understand you’re upset, but—”

“You understand nothing!” she screamed, her voice echoing through the hallway. Nurses and doctors passing by glanced our way but quickly moved on, no doubt recognizing the Vaughn name and wanting to steer clear of the drama. “You don’t know what it’s like to be in my shoes, to be the one he loves. You don’t know what we’ve been through together, how much we’ve sacrificed for each other and now he is not going to remember it. You probably did that to him out of jealousy.”

I clenched my fists at my sides, biting back the retort that threatened to spill out. Of course I knew. I knew far too well. But now wasn’t the time to drag up the past. Not when Rowan’s life hung in the balance.

Not when even when I hated him, I did my best.

“I’m not here to fight with you, Gigi,” I said, keeping my voice as calm as possible. “I’m here to help Rowan. That’s all that matters right now. I would appreciate it if you do not defame me.”

“You don’t get it,” she hissed, stepping closer, her eyes wild with fury. “I can’t lose him. Not like this. And especially not because of you.”

“Oh God.”

I took a deep breath, trying to maintain my professionalism even though every fiber of my being wanted to lash back at her. She was stupid.

“You’re not going to lose him. But you need to let me do my job.”

“Your job?” Gigi let out a bitter laugh. “Your job? You call this a job? You’ve done nothing! You’ve failed him, and you’ve failed me!”

“The surgery was successful. He’s stable. Now we wait for him to regain consciousness, and then we’ll assess the extent of the damage. There’s a possibility of amnesia, yes, but we won’t know until he wakes up.”

“Amnesia.” She spat the word like it was poison. “He could wake up and not even know who I am. Do you have any idea what that would do to me? To him?”

I pressed my lips together, choosing my words carefully. “I know it’s hard, Gigi. But right now, we can only take it one step at a time.”

She stared at me, her eyes narrowing. “You don’t know anything about what this would do to us. You don’t know him like I do. You don’t love him like I do.”

I felt a sharp pang in my chest at her words, but I refused to let it show. “This isn’t about who loves him more. This is about his health, and right now, I’m the best person to help him. So please, just trust me.”

“Trust you?” Gigi’s voice dripped with disdain. “Why should I trust you? You’re nothing but a cold, heartless doctor. You don’t care about people. You just care about your career.”

I clenched my teeth, “That’s not true, Gigi. I care about all my patients.”

“But Rowan isn’t just another patient, is he?” She stepped closer, her eyes blazing. “He’s the man you married. The man you betrayed. You cheated on him and left. You found another guy.”

I frowned. “Was that what he told you?”

“He doesn't need to tell me anything for me to know that's what happened. He had to come to me. His original love.”

I hummed, forcing a smile. "Well, kudos to you. If you will excuse me."

I needed to get away, fast. The tears were already welling up in my eyes, threatening to spill over, and I didn’t want Mrs. Isolde to witness my breakdown. Six years. Six fucking years, and it still hurt like it had happened yesterday. The pain was fresh, raw, and no amount of time had been enough to heal the wounds.

I turned to walk past her, hoping to escape before she could say anything more, but her hand shot out and grabbed mine firmly. Her grip was surprisingly strong for a woman of her age, and I froze, not daring to look at her.

“Who said... you could leave?” Her voice was soft but commanding, with an edge that told me she wasn’t going to let me walk away without answering her.

‘“Gigi that's enough.”

Gigi let go of my hand instantly as a man in suit, probably her body guard help her walk into the ward.

I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening. “Mrs. Isolde, I didn't mean for this mess to happen—”

“Oh, but I think it is,” she interrupted, her eyes sharp as they bore into me. “You’ve done something remarkable today. You saved my grandson’s life, and for that, I owe you more than just thanks.”

She patted the back of my hand gently, her wrinkled fingers cool against my skin. “Remi, I didn’t know. I truly didn’t know you were once married to Rowan.”

I bit my lip, forcing back the tears that threatened to spill. “It was a long time ago.”

“And yet, it still haunts you,” she said quietly, her eyes never leaving mine. “I can see it in your face. You’ve carried that pain for far too long. I saw it on your face when you saw him on TV. I was too selfish to have asked this of you.”

I shook my head, trying to keep my voice steady. “This isn’t about me. Rowan’s the one who needs help right now.”

Mrs. Isolde smiled, a sad and knowing look on her face. “Perhaps. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need to heal too.”

I clenched my jaw, the weight of her words pressing down on me. “How is he?” she asked, her voice a little softer now, as if she could sense the shift in the conversation.

“He’s stable,” I said, taking a deep breath to steady myself. “But it’s going to be a long road to recovery. The surgery was successful, but there’s still the possibility of amnesia. We won’t know until he wakes up.”

Her eyes softened as she squeezed my hand. “I trust you, Remi. I always have.”

Those words sent a pang of guilt through me. If only she knew the truth—the full truth about my relationship with Rowan, about the mistakes I’d made, the regrets I still carried. But now wasn’t the time for confessions.

“Thank you,” I murmured, offering her a small, forced smile. “I just want what’s best for him.”

She nodded, still holding onto my hand, and I could see the worry etched into her face. "You know, Remi... I can see that you're still deeply connected to him. No matter how much time has passed."

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could say anything, a nurse suddenly rushed into the room, her face flushed with urgency.

"Dr. Laurent!" she called, her voice slightly breathless. "Mr. Vaughn is awake!"