Chapter 2

2

Gavin's taillights hadn't even disappeared before my phone lit up.

The name "Killian" flashed on the screen as if he'd timed it perfectly.

I swiped to answer. Before I could speak, his deep voice came through.

"Did he sign it?"

Outside, the wind rustled the leaves of the old oak trees.

I looked at the wet ink on the divorce papers and nodded instinctively.

Then I realized he couldn't see me. "Yes," I whispered.

I heard the sound of a pen being set down. He was likely in his office.

In the three seconds of silence that followed, I could hear his steady breathing. He sounded like he was trying to suppress his emotions.

"I have some pear and lily soup simmering on the stove."

His voice was calm, but the tone shifted slightly.

"You mentioned you couldn't sleep. I had some wild lilies brought in from the coast."

In the distance, the roar of an engine echoed. Gavin was likely speeding toward his mistress.

I traced the edge of the divorce papers. The paper was cold, but Killian's voice felt warm.

"Can I come pick you up?"

"Okay," I said.

When I hung up, my phone buzzed again.

Killian had sent a photo. A ceramic pot was steaming next to a box of macarons.

The strawberry ones―the flavor I hated―had been carefully picked out and moved aside.

He always knew exactly how to avoid my triggers.

My finger hovered over the screen. I suddenly remembered the ruby earrings Gavin had tossed at me.

Three years of marriage, and Gavin didn't even remember I was allergic to cheap metals.

The wind picked up outside.

This time, I was sure the season was finally changing.

The first time I met Killian Rhodes was at Gavin's birthday party.

He was wearing a charcoal gray suit, standing by the champagne tower, looking completely out of place among the flashy trust-fund kids.

"This is my childhood friend, Killian," Gavin had said, his arm draped around my waist. "He just got back from his surgical residency abroad."

Killian nodded politely.

"It's a pleasure, Mrs. Sterling."

The look in his eyes was complicated. Later, I realized he already knew everything Gavin was doing behind my back.

Three months later, I ran into him at the hospital for my check-up.

He frowned as he looked at my charts.

"You're slightly anemic, Hayley. You need to take better care of yourself."

"Don't tell Gavin," I said instinctively.

"Of course not," he said, adjusting his glasses. "He seems quite busy lately."

I looked down, unable to meet his eyes. He was tactful enough not to mention Gavin again.

But after that, Killian started appearing everywhere.

Every time Gavin stood me up, I'd "coincidentally" find Killian at the restaurant or the hospital lobby.

Once, I couldn't take it anymore. "Do you pity me?"

"I'm waiting for you to see the reality," he replied.

"This is between me and my husband," I snapped back then.

Last winter, Gavin took Killian on a ski trip to Aspen, but he brought Sierra along too.

Killian flew back that same day and stood outside my door until two in the morning.

"Are you crazy?" I asked, opening the door. "What if Gavin finds out?"

Frost had gathered on Killian's eyelashes. "I came back to tell you that you deserve better."

Killian's pursuit was like summer sunlight―unabashed and warm.

Every morning, I received white roses from him.

Every time I worked late, there was a healthy late-night meal waiting at the reception desk from him.

Once, I offhandedly mentioned I liked a discontinued scent. The next day, he brought a master perfumer to my office.

"How did you know I used this brand?" I asked, staring at the recreated scent.

"Maybe we're just on the same wavelength," he said.

He brushed a stray hair from my face and immediately pulled his hand back. "As long as you like it."

What I didn't know was that he had spent three months tracking down the formula.

He never mentioned Gavin in front of me.

Once, as we walked past the Sterling Group headquarters, he suddenly pulled me into a side alley.

"There's a new bakery this way," he said.

I later found out he was preventing me from seeing Gavin and his secretary getting out of a car together.

On my birthday last year, he rented out the entire planetarium.

When I looked through the telescope and saw a comet named after me, I finally asked, "Why don't you ever ask about my marriage?"

"I'm waiting for you, not your divorce certificate."

He adjusted the lens focus.

"When you smile, there should be stars in your eyes, not tears."

We were alone in the planetarium on a rainy night.

He grabbed my hand. His palm was burning hot.

"Hayley," his voice was incredibly hoarse. "I can't wait anymore."

I pulled my hand back, my teacup clinking against the table.

"Killian, I have a husband."

"A husband?"

He laughed bitterly and pulled up a video on his phone.

It showed Gavin and Sierra walking into a hotel. The date was yesterday.

"Does he really deserve that title?"

Rain streaked down the glass like tears.

I turned to grab my coat, but he pinned me against the wall.

"Look at me."

He gripped my shoulders, his hold almost painful.

"I've spent two years like a fool, watching you cry and get sick over him..."

His voice broke. "You deserve better."

I had never seen Killian like this.

His tie was crooked, his eyes were red behind his gold-rimmed glasses, and his perfectly styled hair was a mess.

"I know. Let me think about it..."

To my surprise, those were the words that left my mouth.

His eyes lit up instantly, like a ship seeing a lighthouse in a storm.

His hand hovered near my face, wanting to touch me, but he restrained himself and reached for the teapot instead.

"Okay."

Steam rose from the cup as he spoke over the sound of the rain.

"I'll wait as long as it takes. Even if in the end..."

His throat bobbed.

"Even if you choose to stay Mrs. Sterling, I'll always be your doctor."

The storm raged outside, but Killian looked at me with such fragile hope.