The light might be dim, but there’s something in Leo’s reaction to hearing his brother’s name that tells me I’m missing a big part of this story.

His eyes widen at first, maybe in shock. But then his lip curls into a sneer. “Andrew.” He almost growls the name.

“I am sorry, Your Highness. I know things have been difficult between you and your elder brother. And I promise you, I did try and explain to His Majesty…”

Leo says nothing, but he does lie back down on the bed. He kicks his legs up with a groan and splints his wound with both hands, lacing his fingers together. He stares up at the ceiling in silence.

I can’t help but feel like I’m watching something I shouldn’t be seeing. Like I’ve intruded on some personal secret neither man wants revealed. Earlier, I wanted so badly to know what was going on—and now I find I don’t. My cheeks are burning with embarrassment—as though I’m reading Leo’s diary or something—and I almost can’t wait to get out of here.

My voice falters. “I…I’ll let you two work this out.” I motion with my hands toward the back of the clinic. “I need to do some other stuff, anyway, so if you could keep an eye on him, Matthias, and let me know if anything…” I don’t know what’s happening to me—tears are stinging at my eyes. I blink them back. I’m trying so hard to cover up what’s just happened in my office with the other doctor, and I know I’m in danger of falling apart—which is the last thing I want to do in front of Leo. “If you need anything, you can come and find me.”

Everything has changed now. Two days ago, I couldn’t wait to get out of here. If someone had told me the new doctor would be here early, I would have jumped for joy. It isn’t like I have anything waiting for me at home, but I’m done here. Done with this past year.

Before a few days ago, it seemed like there was nothing left here for me. I have things I still want to do for the people I’ve met here, but I want to go home, even if it’s only for a little while. And Leo’s family has made sure I don’t have a choice in the matter.

“Elle.” Leo’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “Don’t go.”

I’m not sure if he’s talking about now or… No. He has to be talking about now. I think I made it pretty clear there isn’t going to be some secret ongoing affair in his Beverly Hills hideaway. And I don’t see what difference it’s going to make—whether I go to my room now or not. And as for leaving Rio de Campo, well, there’s nothing to discuss about that, either.

I force a smile and make myself go back into doctor mode. I realize now I should never have let myself out of doctor mode—it makes things easier, at least with Leo. “I’ll be in the back. Matthias can find me if you need something. We can give you more aspirin in a few hours if your stomach is still doing all right, and there should be some daylight by then so we can do your sutures then, too.” I turn my gaze to Matthias. “If you see his bandage has soaked through, though, let us know. We can do the stitches by candlelight if we need to.” Leo doesn’t need to know why I’m using the word “we”—that no matter what he needs, I won’t be able to be the one attending to him any longer.

The wiry man nods. “Yes, Doctor. I’ll let you know right away.”

“Good.” I clasp my hands in front of me and force a smile. “Good. Everything is all good.” I’m lying—mostly to myself, but I think I’ve put on a pretty good act for the two men. Leo doesn’t seem to suspect I’m hiding anything from him, at least. I turn to grab a candle from the counter. I light it quickly and almost run to my room, closing the door behind me. I set the candle down on my makeshift table and sink onto my bed.

I’m not going to let myself cry. I never let myself get like this—all overwhelmed with this…this feeling. I don’t even want to say it to myself, but I know what it is. Shame.

Tramp. That disgusting asshole had actually had the nerve to use that word. I hate how it still affects me like this—I haven’t even let myself think about the reason I came here a year ago. The stigma of my past hadn’t followed me here until now.

I’m ready to leave, I remind myself. Meeting Leo shouldn’t have complicated things. But the new doctor seeing me in a compromising position with Leo definitely complicated things. Having Dr. Mitchell tell me I needed to vacate the premises before he made a call to my employer—well, I didn’t tell him he wouldn’t need to make a call. I didn’t mention he could have a few more words with the man lying on the gurney. Leo was having so much fun hurling insults at the new doctor that I didn’t want to spoil the fun I know he’ll have when he gets to reveal who he is.

But I hate how Dr. Mitchell threw my past in my face. He has clearly done his homework, unlike Leo. Maybe I really am a slut who can’t keep her panties on to save her life. I didn’t leave the best reputation behind me back in the States, and serving a year here should have gone a long way in fixing that—not cementing it. Now that the new guy has seen me in a precarious position, it’s doubtful I’ll be able to get a decent job when I get home. And he told me if I didn’t go before he gets back in a half an hour, he’ll make sure everyone on earth knows he found me sleeping with a patient. It’s only a matter of time before he finds out who Leo is, which makes it doubly bad, just like I thought it would. If anyone believes I was sleeping with a patient who is also my boss, it would be the end of my career. And my career can’t handle anyone in medicine thinking I’m sleeping with my boss. Again.

Shit.

The asshole new doctor also made it pretty clear he believes he’s better qualified than I am to care for the children here. Not that I can really argue with that. I’m only two years out of residency now—I still have a lot to learn. I’ve never denied it. When I saw the email about the opening in Rio de Campo last year and it was right after everything in my life started to fall apart, I couldn’t resist applying. I’m not conceited enough to believe I was the best-qualified applicant—I was probably the only applicant, or I never would have been able to get this job.

But whatever. I think I’ve done pretty well here. This place was a disaster when I arrived and I’d like to think it’s a little less of one now. This clinic is still a living nightmare, but I think my system of running it is better than what was going on when I first arrived. Not that any of this matters at all now. My one-year term here is up and the royal family declined to extend my contract. I guess Leo missed that in his files, too—it seemed like he was pretty bored with having to be here at all, so it shouldn’t surprise me he didn’t notice that particular detail.

At least I wasn’t fired. Leo’s family could have done that if they’d wanted to. They promised a reference and a contract completion bonus, which should at least be enough to get me home and hopefully to help me get a new job. Whatever I can find for employment is not going to be the greatest job in the world—I’ll probably end up working at a low-income clinic or something—but at least I can do something meaningful while I’m saving up to come back here.

I begin to toss my things into my suitcase. I haven’t acquired much while I’ve been here. I think I’ll trash most of my clothes, anyway. There’s nothing left that I care too much about and little that isn’t bloodstained. The completion bonus can buy me a few new things when I get back home. Interview clothes, anyway.

I weed out the items to toss and only keep a few outfits—only enough to get me back home. I shove my books and magazines into the suitcase, too. I might have left them for the new doctor, but considering what a dick he is, I’m not going to do anything nice for him. He can buy his own books or send Raul up to Santa Rosa to get magazines for him.

I have to blink back tears again, thinking about Raul. I’ll have to figure out a way to say goodbye to him without coming back into the clinic tomorrow. I guess I can try to stop by his house before I get on the bus to Santa Rosa, at least to give a message to his wife.

After I finish packing, I set my suitcase down on the floor next to my bed. I sigh to myself—I’m going to have to go back out there. I guess I could try to sneak through the back door and go around to the front to get my few things from the office, but it will be hard not to make any noise considering how dark it is in the lobby. And a candle won’t make it through the rain.

I open my door and set my suitcase in the hallway, careful to make as little sound as possible. I grab the candle and walk back into the corridor, listening for a moment. There’s no talking or anything coming from the treatment area, so I decide to risk it—to go through there to retrieve my stuff from the office.

I suck in a breath and puff out my chest—I’m not even fooling myself with the brave show, but maybe it will work on Leo. Or if I’m really lucky, maybe he’s fallen asleep.

I try not to think about how that would be a bad thing, given his head injury. Dr. Mitchell can deal with that when he comes back to the clinic in a little while. And maybe by morning, the rain will have stopped and Raul will return with the car. Leo can go to the hospital to get his stitches—I can’t imagine he’ll enjoy being treated by the new guy.

After I take a few tentative steps into the treatment area, I see Leo is not only not asleep, he’s propped himself up with pillows so he’s almost sitting up. Matthias is pacing back and forth in a semi-circle around the two gurneys.

I force a smile. “I just need to grab something from my office.”

Leo tilts his head. “Surely there’s nothing in your office that can’t wait until daylight, Elle.” He lifts an eyebrow before he pats the space next to him on the gurney—the spot where I was lying in his arms only a few minutes ago. “You could rejoin me.”

I look over at Matthias and shake my head.

Leo glances over at the man, who isn’t paying much attention to either of us—Matthias seems to be talking to himself. Leo smiles. “I assure you, Matthias is a most trusted confidant. He would never even consider—”

Matthias interrupts. “It’s true, Doctor. I would never consider betraying His Royal Highness’s trust.”

I force another plastic smile. “I’ll just be a second.”

Leo’s brow furrows with disappointment when I decline. I dart to the door, avoiding the large puddle from the two dripping men who entered earlier.

I walk into my dark office and grab a few things, tucking them under my arm before walking back to the treatment area.

I don’t look over at Leo—I don’t want to make eye contact. I know he can see right through me, even in the dim lighting. And I don’t want him asking questions. The best thing that can happen is for me to get out of here. For me to go to the hostel. I’ll wake Owen up and ask for a room—I don’t even care if I have to sleep on a mat on the floor. I only want this night to be over and I really want to get the hell out of here—out of this country. Away from Leo and away from my past that seems to follow me wherever I go.

But the doctor in me kicks in before I can actually make myself go to the back door—even though I only have a few minutes left before Dr. Mitchell returns. I look over at Leo, trying to see his bandage in the flickering candlelight. “Are you okay?”

He nods before motioning with his head at me. “What is it you have there?” He pauses for a moment and narrows his gaze.

I paste another fake smile on my face. “Just a few things I didn’t want to forget. I’m leaving, you know.” I pause for a second, trying to read his expression. “In two days,” I add for good measure. It’ll be easier if he doesn’t ask questions. And he’s in no position to come chasing after me, anyway—not with his injuries.

My answer seems to satisfy him, and he doesn’t say anything else to me. His eyes go back to following Matthias around the room.

I see my chance to bolt and I decide to take it. I race into the hallway and shove the stuff in my arms into my suitcase before I pick it up and walk down the back hallway. I stop at the door—for one tiny moment, I want desperately to turn around. If I told him—if I could tell Leo the truth about everything—he could use his position to save me. He could tell Doctor Asshole to go to hell. He could rescue me like some fairy tale prince.

But I can’t do that. I don’t need or want some man—prince or not—to rescue me. I got myself into this mess. I know I have to get myself out and nothing else matters—not feelings or desires or even my stupid hormones. I’m the only one who can fix this.

“I’m sorry.” I say the words under my breath, and I’m not really sure who I’m apologizing to—Leo or myself.

But I open the door and walk out into the rain without saying goodbye.

* * *