Chapter 3Love Blossomed Like Summer Fire, Then Withered

For a second, I almost relented.

But then the image of him biting that apple flashed in my mind, the ease with which he threw away his principles for her.

"Jonah," I said, my voice dry. "The last flight is at nine tonight. Our trip."

He smiled, ruffling my hair the way he always did, momentarily dispelling the gloom. "We don't have to wait until nine. Let's go now."

"Dr. Beckett, the test results for bed three are in," a nurse called out from down the hall.

Bed three. Aria.

"I'll look at them right away," Jonah replied instantly. The smile had barely left his face, but his body was already turning toward the nurse.

My agreement died in my throat, shattering silently.

And so, I ended up waiting at the hospital while he ran tests for her.

By the time I checked my watch, it was six in the evening. If we did not leave for the airport now, we would miss the flight.

"It's six o'clock," I said, standing by his desk, my voice quiet.

Jonah was buried in paperwork, his brow furrowed as he reviewed Aria's thick medical file. "Almost done. Just give me a few more minutes."

He did not even look up.

Looking at the towering stack of files, I knew that "almost done" was a lie. My patience finally wore thin.

"Aria is asleep now, Jonah. She isn't going to wake up and demand you stay. Can't another doctor on duty look at these files?"

"No, they can't," he snapped, his pen never pausing.

"Why not?"

The question hung in the silence of the office.

"Nell, can you please be quiet for a second? You're distracting me, and I can't get this done if you keep talking," Jonah said, his forehead creasing with irritation.

A wave of hurt washed over me. It was our anniversary trip, yet somehow I was the one being unreasonable.

Perhaps seeing the tears welling in my eyes, Jonah softened. He sighed, walked around the desk, and took my hand.

"I'm sorry. I'm just incredibly tired today, I didn't mean to snap at you." His grip was warm and familiar. "But Aria's case is highly complex, and the board is monitoring it. Because of our history, I know her psychological triggers better than anyone else. But I promise you, I will make this up to you."

With that, he shut the file, handed it over to the resident on duty, and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. His lips curved into a smile. "Come on, let's go catch that flight."

"Dr. Beckett! The patient in bed three says—" another nurse ran up to us.

"I'm off the clock," Jonah interrupted her, his voice firm and clear. "Dr. Vance is taking over her case. I am taking my fiancée on vacation."

He pulled me by the hand, leading me past his colleagues and out of the hospital doors.

The cold wind whipped against my face, but my cheeks felt hot. I asked myself if I was being too petty. She was just an old acquaintance who needed help, right? Only a month ago, Jonah had knelt on one knee and asked me to marry him. We were going to spend the rest of our lives together. The past belonged in the past.

I forced myself to believe it as we boarded the flight to Aspen.

During the flight, he adjusted my blanket and reclined my seat, talking and laughing just as he always did. But when he looked out the window at the heavy clouds, I saw the emptiness in his eyes.

We landed, checked into our hotel, and everything went according to plan. The next day was filled with ice sculptures, skiing, and hot springs. The hospital drama felt like a minor bump in the road.

Until that night, while Jonah was in the shower.

His phone lit up on the nightstand with a stream of messages:

[Dr. Beckett, Aria is doing a bit better, but she refuses to take her medication. She keeps crying and asking for you. Please, just call her.]

[She just called me, Jonah. Don't you want to know how much she has missed you all these years?]

The sender was Toby. The timestamp was five minutes ago.

I stared at the screen, my thumb hovering over the delete button for a long time. In the end, I put the phone back down.

I was gambling. I was gambling our four years of history against his lingering feelings, hoping the scale would finally tip in my favor.