“And Melissa died,” Nica said softly.
The pain was still there, sharp and immediate.“Yes.She died.Two kids lost their mother because I didn’t see what was happening until it was too late.Because I trusted the wrong person.I accepted full responsibility, because I should have stopped the procedure when I noticed something wasn’t right.I didn’t and that’s on me.”
“The papers said you were cleared.”
“After eight months of investigation, both by the hospital as well as by the State Licensing Board, yes.They found a witness, a janitor emptying the trash and cleaning the floors, who saw Richardson in the locker room before I came to the OR to prep for the surgery; the surgery I was doing covering for him because he was ‘sick’.While they didn’t see him actually put anything in my coffee, it would have been easy enough, because the cup was right there by my gym bag.The janitor did see Richardson pick up my cup.It was proven that the ketamine was in my coffee.But it didn’t matter to her family.It couldn’t bring her back.”He swallowed hard.“The hospital settled with them out of court.I resigned.Richardson lost his license after it was determined he was responsible.The pressure and the disgrace of what he’d done eventually led to him committing suicide.He never admitted it, so there will always be a cloud over my name.I’ll never be free of the accusations, or the guilt I carry every day.I was cocky and vain.My reputation meant everything to me and in an instant, it was gone, beyond repair.”
Understanding dawned in Nica’s eyes.“If he committed suicide, it can’t be him behind these calls.He couldn’t have mailed me these papers.”
Gabe nodded.“It must be someone connected to him.Or maybe somebody connected to Melissa’s family.They might have settled with the hospital, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still blame me.”He started to reach for her, his hand outstretched, before he pulled it back.“What I want to know is, how did they find out about us, Nica.Nobody knows about our elopement.”The fear he’d been holding at bay surged forward.“If they’re willing to drag all this up again, to hunt me down halfway across the country, I don’t know what else they are capable of, what they might do to you.”
“You should have told me, explained all of this to me so I wasn’t broadsided by a stranger trying to hurt me—hurt us.”Her voice was quiet, but there was steel in it.“We’re married, Gabe.For better or worse, remember?Those aren’t just pretty words.I meant them.”
“I know.”Shame washed over him.“I was afraid.Not just of them finding you, but of losing you.Your family…”
“My family doesn’t know we’re married,” she reminded him, her voice gentle.“I’ve been keeping secrets too.”She pressed her fingers to her temples.“What a mess.”
“I’m so sorry.I know sorry doesn’t even begin to…” The words seemed pathetically inadequate.“I should have trusted you.”
Nica was silent for a long moment, staring down at the papers that had shattered their peaceful existence.“Yes,” she said finally.“You should have.”
He wanted desperately to go to her, to pull her into his arms, but sensed that would be the wrong move.She needed space.Time to process.She was a smart woman, one of the most intelligent women he’d ever met, but she was also her mother’s daughter.Given enough time, she’d come up with the right answer, that he loved her desperately, and needed her in his life.She was already in his heart.
“What do we do now?”
Nica looked up at him, and despite everything, he could still see the love in her eyes, though now tinged by hurt and uncertainty.“First, no more secrets.We’re going to sit down and go over every detail about what happened in California, about these calls, about what you think they want.Then we decide together how to handle it.”
“Together,” he repeated, clinging to the word like a lifeline.
“Yes.But Gabe?”Her voice hardened.“If I find out you’re keeping anything else from me, that’s it.I won’t be able to trust you again.Do you understand?”
He nodded, throat tight.“I understand.”
She stood and walked around the coffee table, the one covered with the medical reports and newspaper clippings, swiping them onto the floor, and took his hand.Her grip was firm, anchoring him.“I think we should order some dinner; I’m in the mood for Chinese.Then we talk.Because whoever sent these,” she gestured toward the loose sheets lying on the coffee table, “they’re not just after you anymore.They’re after us.”She paused and looked into his eyes before adding, “And they are not going to win.Because we are stronger than anything they can throw at us, if we face it together.”
Gabe squeezed her hand, then pulled her into his arms, hugging her close, drawing strength from her touch.The truth might’ve been painful, but keeping it inside had been worse.As the room grew darker around them, he began to tell his wife everything he should have told her long ago—every detail about Melissa Carpenter, about Richardson’s betrayal, about the nightmares that still woke him in a cold sweat.
And somewhere in the back of his mind, a clock was ticking.Because whoever had found Nica today wouldn’t stop there.Somebody had done their homework, had discovered how much Nica meant to him, and would use that as a weapon.The past he’d tried to outrun had finally caught up with him, and this time, the stakes were higher than ever.
This time, it wasn’t just his career on the line.It was his heart.
CHAPTER SIX
Nica gazed outthe window of her old bedroom at the Big House, watching raindrops trace meandering paths down the glass.Thunder rumbled in the distance.It was one of those unexpected thunderstorms that pop up, blows in hard and fast, and is gone just as quickly.But sitting here, listening as the rain pounded against the glass, it had triggered something in her—memories of another rainy night not that long ago, one that changed everything.
College Station had been experiencing an unusual cold snap that February evening.Nica remembered slipping into the restaurant, nervously smoothing down her burgundy dress as she scanned the dim interior.There he was, Dr.Gabriel Summers, looking nothing like the clinical professional she’d known in Shiloh Springs.In dark jeans and a charcoal button-down with the sleeves rolled to reveal muscled, tanned forearms, he seemed much younger, more approachable.
But still just as devastating to her composure.What was it about the man that set her heartbeat racing, made her almost giddy and lightheaded?She’d never had this reaction around anybody before.Why him?
“I almost didn’t recognize you without your white coat,” she’d teased as she slid into the booth across from him, trying to hide how her heart hammered against her ribs.She needed to play it cool, act like she was something more than a family friend from Shiloh Springs.Wanted him to see her as an adult—as a woman.
Gabe’s smile had been slow, almost cautious.“I could say the same.You look different too, Nica.More…” He’d searched for the word, eyes never leaving hers, “free.”
The restaurant was one of those carefully curated local spots—exposed brick walls, Edison bulbs hanging from fixtures attached to reclaimed wood, and an impressive wine list that Gabe navigated with surprising expertise.The lighting was low enough to feel intimate without being obvious about it.It was a place frequented more by upper classmen looking for more than beer and wings on a Friday night.To be honest, she’d been surprised when Gabe mentioned meeting here.She hadn’t thought he’d even know about this place.
“How’s your father doing?”Gabe asked after they’d ordered, his fingers idly turning his water glass.“I got his latest labs before I left.”
“Better.Stubborn as ever.”Nica smiled, remembering her father’s complaints about the new diet.“He says he’s following your recommendations to the letter, but Liam caught him trying to sneak extra bacon onto his sandwich at the job site.”
