Chapter 2Love Blossomed Like Summer Fire, Then Withered

Finally, my phone buzzed.

I answered it immediately. "Jonah? Are you okay?"

"Hello? Who is this?" a soft, delicate female voice answered.

My throat went dry. It was Aria.

"If you're looking for Dr. Beckett, you'll have to wait a moment," she said calmly, her tone completely devoid of malice. "He went to get me some of his homemade potato soup."

The blood in my veins turned to ice.

Potato soup.

Jonah had spent nearly an hour in the kitchen this morning, slow-cooking it and leaving it in a thermos for me.

He had once told me: "I only learned how to cook because of you, Nell. I only want to make these things for you."

I had always believed that this soup, this small gesture, was the one thing that set me apart from Aria.

The line went quiet for a few seconds before Jonah’s voice came through.

"Hey, Nell. I'm so sorry. Something urgent came up at the hospital today. It looks like we'll have to push the trip back."

He apologized over and over, but he never mentioned Aria's name.

If she was just a patient, why the lie? What did his promise last night even mean?

"I'm coming to the hospital," I said, my voice eerily calm.

There was a brief pause on the other end. "...Okay."

The sterile scent of disinfectant hung heavy in the hospital corridor.

I stood outside the door of ward three. Through the small glass window, I saw Jonah sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a warm bowl. He carefully blew on a spoonful of soup before feeding it to Aria.

Her movements were a bit sluggish, but she complied, swallowing quietly. Then, she picked up a half-eaten apple from the bedside table and offered it to him.

Jonah smiled, leaned down, and took a bite right from the spot she had bitten.

My breath caught.

Jonah had mild germophobia. He was a man who politely declined when I tried to feed him with my own fork, yet here he was, sharing a half-eaten apple with another woman without a second thought.

A dull, throbbing pain bloomed in my chest.

There was nothing special about me. The rules he broke for her were the rules he rigidly kept with me. It was never about the action; it was always about the person.

When I pushed the door open, Jonah froze. He hastily set the bowl and the apple down on the table.

Aria did not look at me. Like a tired bird, she tilted her head and naturally rested her cheek against Jonah's chest.

He did not pull away.

Jonah stood there and let her lean on him.

I stood in the doorway, watching them. I felt like an intruder who had walked into someone else's movie, making even my breathing feel like an inconvenience.

"Nell," Jonah said, finally standing up. Aria swayed slightly, losing her support.

His face was a mask of guilt. "You can see how she is. The trauma affected her mind, she is acting like a child right now. Please don't take it to heart, okay?"

How could I not?

My lips curved into a bitter smile, but the only word that escaped me was a hollow, "Okay."

Just as I was trying to force myself to accept his explanation, Aria looked up. Her eyes were vacant, but her voice was as soft as a feather.

"Jonah, I like you so much."

Jonah went rigid, his expression turning incredibly complex.

"Hold me, please?" She reached out her arms, her eyes wide and innocent, like a child who knew no boundaries.

But this time, Jonah pushed her hand away. He quickly walked over to me, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me out into the corridor.

"She is sick, Nell. She doesn't know what she's saying," he said, closing the door behind us to shut her out. He repeated the same empty phrase: "Don't take it to heart."

Seeing my silence, he let out a heavy sigh and cupped my face with both hands, forcing me to look into his exhausted eyes.

"She is in a terrible state, Nell. Her ex-husband abused her for years, and she finally snapped when she caught him cheating," he explained, his voice thick with emotion. "I had no intention of seeing her this morning, I swear. I remembered my promise to you. But her ex-husband showed up at the clinic, trying to drag her away. She was huddled in a corner, screaming my name. With all my colleagues watching, I couldn't just stand there and do nothing. Just this once, Nell, please understand."

The desperation in his voice felt so real. It seemed as though he was just a good man carrying a burden he could not shake.