“What do you mean you can’t find Keanu?” Wilson roars. “Do you understand how dangerous that man is?”

“Yes, we do, Mr. Barton,” the stocky officer that took my statement in the hospital says. I now know his name—PD Grinage.

“Then why did you let him get away?”

I put a hand on Wilson’s arm to calm him. He snaps his mouth shut, but he’s still simmering. I glance at the officers. “Do you have any idea where he might have run to?”

“We think he crossed the border into Mexico illegally, but that’s only a guess. If he used legal channels to escape the country, his name would have come up in our system. At this point, all we can hope for is that he makes a mistake. The moment he returns to Belize, we’ll know.”

“Thank you so much for your hard work, Officers.” I rise and yank on Wilson’s arm so he does too. “Please keep us updated.”

“Of course.”

When we get outside, Wilson frowns at me. “Why were you so calm? They can’t even do their jobs right!”

“Sh! You’re embarrassing me.”

That gets through to him and he quiets down. He opens my door for me and rounds the hood to get in on the other side. The moment he slides into the driver’s seat, Wilson turns to me.

I study his stormy expression. “What?”

“How do you feel about a personal bodyguard?”

“Will, no.”

“How about one of those ‘I’ve fallen and I can’t get up’ buttons? You know the ones for senior citizens?”

“No.”

“We can move to the States. You can work in the office next to mine.”

“Will, I’m a nurse. I belong in a hospital.”

He pouts. “Then what do you expect me to do? Just stay here and wait for Keanu to strike again?”

“He’s not coming back. Keanu’s extremely selfish, which means he won’t put himself in a position where he can get hurt. Trust me, he’ll stay as far away from me and Belize as possible.”

“Fine.” Wilson starts the car and then glances at me. “A human-sized hamster wheel?”

“Wilson!”

“Alright, I’ll stop.” He drives toward the hospital. “Are you sure you should be going back to work so soon? You were only discharged a few days ago.”

“I’m fine. I don’t want to use up my sick days like this.”

“You don’t have to work, you know. I can take care of you. That way, you can volunteer at the hospital when you want to instead of worrying about using your sick days.”

My chest warms. I know Wilson really means that. “Honey, that’s so sweet, but my mother taught me not to rely on any man unless he’s my husband and even then, I need a way to provide for myself in case it doesn’t work out.”

“That’s an easy problem to solve. Marry me. I promise I’ll love you forever.”

I snort. “I already told you yes. Why do you keep asking?”

“Because you keep putting me off. I’m too impatient. I can’t wait two years.”

“That’s too bad.”

Wilson narrows his eyes. “I’ll wear you down eventually.”

“You can try.”

He parks right in front of the hospital and leans over. “Call me if you need me.”

“I will.”

“And if you feel overwhelmed or tired, take a break. Don’t worry about your job. You have a rich boyfriend.”

I laugh. “You’re crazy.”

“Crazy in love.”

I roll my eyes but lean over and reward him with a kiss because cheesy talk like that always melts me. “See you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“I have a twelve-hour shift, remember?”

He scowls, but doesn’t ask me to quit. Which is an improvement. I’ve realized that Wilson is a very convincing salesman when he wants something, and for a second I was wooed.

“See yah.” I wave and trot inside before he can distract me any further.

The moment I enter my ward, I notice a shift in the air. Doctors that I work with every day and that generally leave me alone unless we’re helping a patient together stop and greet me. The nursing interns shoot me timid, pitiful looks.

Pain and loss are a part of our existence. We’re in the thick of it when a patient’s life is at risk, when it eventually leaves this world to go on to the other. We’re right there. So it’s not like the concept of death is unfamiliar.

But I lost a child. And, thanks to Will’s well-intentioned idea of bringing the entire nursing staff and security team in on our little problem with Keanu, everyone knows that I had and lost a baby.

It’s excruciating.

I try to keep my head up and ignore the attention, but after a nurse I’ve never seen before from a completely different ward approaches me to offer her condolences, I make a run for the bathroom to get away from it all.

The door falls shut as I stumble inside the brightly lit room and stop at the sink. My fingers dig into the counter and I hold on for dear life, breathing intently through my nose.

I thought I could do this. Thought I could come to work and pretend that last week never happened. Guess I was wrong.

A toilet flushes in one of the stalls and Gretchen appears. We notice each other at the same time. I freeze, while Gretchen approaches slowly.

“Hey,” she says. “You’re back.”

“I am.”

She stops at the sink and washes her hands. Using a tone of forced composure she says, “How are you?”

“Good.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah.”

The water rushes into the bowl, filling the room with a hissing sound. I pretend to fluff my short ponytail and wash my hands too. Gretchen shuts her faucet off and I follow. Silence reigns for a second.

Suddenly, she spins and kicks a bathroom stall open. The thud of her pristine white tennis shoes smashing against the door echoes in the room. I jump, watching fearfully as Gretchen goes down the row of bathroom stalls and kicks them open one by one.

When she’s certain no one is here, Gretchen turns and locks eyes with me.

I step back. “You okay?”

“I should be the one asking you that,” she croaks. Next thing I know, Gretchen flies across the room and wraps me up in a big hug. “I’m so sorry, Zora.”

My first instinct is to push her off. I raise my hand to do just that when a thought hits me.

She’s being sincere.

I freeze. This isn’t Gretchen trying to make a scene so she looks like the better person in front of our superiors. This isn’t Gretchen trying to kiss up to me so we can be friends.

She is genuinely sorry for me and unable to think of a less dramatic way to express that.

I end up patting her back as she sniffs into my shoulder. “Thank you.”

“My heart goes out to you and Wilson.” She pulls back and I notice the mascara running down her cheeks. Gosh, I hope she didn’t stain my scrubs.

“I appreciate that. Really.”

“If there’s anything I can do…”

“I’ll let you know.”

Gretchen wipes her tears with the flat of her thumb and then offers me a rather messy thumbs-up. “You’re awesome, Zora. Just awesome.”

I watch her walk out with a soft chuckle. I’ve always judged Gretchen for being a flirt and an airhead, but she’s not so bad.

Her comfort is the turning point in a rather draining shift. People still look at me like I’m a bug under a microscope, but it doesn’t feel as grating or annoying. I realize that my defenses don’t have to be up all the time.

It’s okay to just nod, smile and move on every once in a while.

My shift finishes at two in the morning, but I decide not to sleep in the break room like I originally intended. I’m exhausted, even more tired than I was when Little Bean…

No, I won’t think about that.

I catch a ride with one of the nurses and head to my apartment. As soon as I get in, I grab my phone to text Wilson, but I end up falling asleep mid-text and it never gets sent.

A sudden knock on the door wakes me the next morning. My eyes burst open and I notice sunlight bouncing into the room. A yawn cracks my jaw. The insistent thuds on the door thunder through my head and give me a raging headache.

I roll out of the sofa where I drifted off last night and brush through my hair with my fingers. “I’m coming, I’m coming.” Expecting to see Wilson when I open the door, I jump back in surprise when I recognize Violet.

“Hello, Zora.”

My voice is shrill. “What are you doing here?”

“Can I come in?”

“Sure.” I step back, the sleep clearing from my eyes. I’m confused, but I’m also a little concerned. What would Violet and I possibly have to talk about?

“Wilson’s across the way.” I point to the door. I have no idea why I’m sending my enemy, at least my enemy in love, over to my boyfriend.

Am I insane or is my brain still slow from lack of sleep?

As I stand there staring at Violet, however, I realize it’s none of the above. I just… don’t care.

I did the whole paranoid-girlfriend song and dance with Keanu. I followed his every move on social media, tracking his likes when he was too friendly with some hot model online. I spied on him when he said he was at work to make sure he wasn’t lying to me.

Running around was demeaning. Chipped off my self-esteem like nothing else could.

I know Wilson has a weakness for Violet and in the back of my mind, I’m prepared to acknowledge them if that’s what he wakes up one morning and decides. But so far, Wilson has given me no reason to distrust him and I want to believe him when he says he loves me.

No better way to test that than to watch him react to the woman he chased his whole life.

“I’m not here for Wilson,” Violet says.

My eyebrows hike. “You’re not?”

“Wait… I am. Sort of.” She gives me a sheepish smile and even that expression does nothing to detract from her insane beauty.

Some people in this world are just blessed with superior genetics and Violet is one of them. It’s not because she’s white or has long hair. Her facial features are just so freaking perfect. She’s an airbrushed photograph come to life.

It’s oddly entrancing to be near something so flawless.

“Okay.” I point to my sofa because I’m somewhat intrigued. In the past, Violet and I never spoke one-on-one. We just didn’t click for some reason, and she always kept her distance.

“I understand that you and Wilson have a child,” Violet says.

I tilt my head, mentally debating whether I should inform her of our recent loss, but I decide against it. Violet is not a family member or a friend. I am not obligated to inform her of one of my deepest hurts.

She continues, completely oblivious to the truth. “And I get why Wilson wants to try and make things work with you.”

“You do?” I fold my arms over my chest.

“Yes. He’s always been the type of guy who stood up for the disadvantaged.” Her eyes fall over my body in distaste. “Even if that person is trying to use or manipulate him.”

This girl is crazy…

“Are you saying I’m using Wilson?”

“Hey,” Violet places a delicate hand on her chest, “I’m not here to judge. I came to help.”

“What do you want, Violet?”

“I don’t want anything. I’m here with an offer. Half a million dollars.”

My jaw drops. “What?”

“I’ll give you half a million dollars if you break up with Wilson right now.”