PROLOGUE
They are chasing me . I can hear their footsteps a few yards behind me, but the place around me is so dark that I can only guess where they are. I never should have gone in that room. I never should have opened that file. Now that I did, I may never see daylight again. If I could do it all over again I would have done it differently. very differently .
CHAPTER -1 Evelyn
PRESENT
"Good morning honey"
Those words—gentle and familiar—have been the first I've heard every morning for the past five years, even before sunlight slips through our window.
I smile up at Andrew."Five more minutes… please?" I murmur, my voice heavy with sleep
He shakes his head as he effortlessly lifts me from the bed like he always does."Go take a shower, Ev," he says warmly. "I'll be waiting in the car, okay?"
I nod, still half-asleep, and shuffle toward the bathroom.
Thirty minutes later, I'm juggling a brush through my hair, a piece of toast between bites, and slipping on my shoes—all at once. What can I say? Multitasking is practically my superpower.
I rush out the door and spot my beautiful husband waiting in the driver's seat, his smile making the morning brighter than the sun itself."Ready?" he asks,"Always," I reply, sliding into the seat beside him.
As we drive toward Nova Med, the hospital where we both work, my thoughts drift. I catch myself watching the way the sunlight dances in Andrew's blonde hair, like it was made to glow just for him. And like so many times before, I find myself lost in that memory again—Five years ago.Him on one knee.His hands slightly trembling, his eyes determined
I look down at the diamond on my finger now, still shining as brightly as the day he slipped it on. I remember the way my heart swelled, the way the word "yes" left my lips in a joyful scream. He had picked me up in his arms, both of us laughing-
"Earth to Evelyn."Andrew's voice brings me back. I blink and realize I've been smiling to myself.
"Sorry?" I ask, a little embarrassed
He chuckles gently, reaching over to squeeze my hand."I said I'll be working extra hours today—Dr. Sader's surgery is mine now. But don't worry, I'll still make it home in time to cook us dinner."
That's him. That's the man I married. The reason my days begin with a smile and always end with one. The reason my friends tease me about being too lucky in love.
But if life has taught me anything, it's that even the most beautiful things can come at a cost. And sometimes, love is just the beginning of the story.