Chapter 2

The moment I stepped into St. Albans Hospital, I felt the weight of a hundred stares.

Three years had changed me.

Gone was the quiet, mousy wife who wore oversized clothes to hide herself. I walked in wearing a tailored white coat over a black dress, my credentials hanging around my neck, my reputation preceding me like armor.

The hospital director personally escorted me through the lobby.

"Dr. Mitchell, we're honored to have you. Your paper on cardiac microsurgery revolutionized the field. Half our department learned from your techniques."

I smiled politely. "Thank you. I'm just here to do my job."

He leaned in. "I should warn you—the patient's family is... difficult. The Carters are one of the most powerful families in the city. They've already fired three surgeons."

"I'm aware."

What he didn't know was that I'd specifically requested this case.

Not for revenge. I wasn't that petty.

Ryan's mother, Helen Carter, had a rare cardiac condition. She needed a surgery so complex that only a handful of surgeons in the world could perform it.

I happened to be the best.

When I entered the VIP ward, Vanessa was already there, perched on the edge of Helen's bed, peeling an apple with exaggerated care.

She looked up, and her face froze.

"Grace?"

I set my chart down calmly. "It's Dr. Mitchell, actually."

Vanessa recovered quickly, her shock melting into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I heard the new surgeon was some kind of genius. I never imagined it would be you."

"Life's full of surprises."

Helen, propped up on pillows and pale as paper, squinted at me. "You. You're that girl Ryan divorced?"

"I am."

Her lip curled. "I told them to find the best surgeon, not drag in a woman with a personal vendetta. Get out. I'd rather die than let you touch me."

The room went silent.

The nurses exchanged nervous glances. The director started to sweat.

I just looked at Helen for a long moment, then closed my chart.

"That's your right, Mrs. Carter. But I should let you know—I'm the only surgeon in this hemisphere qualified to perform your procedure. The next closest one is in Switzerland and has a fourteen-month waitlist."

I paused.

"Your heart doesn't have fourteen months."

Helen's face went white.

Before she could respond, the door behind me opened, and a voice I hadn't heard in three years filled the room.

"What's going on here?"

My body went rigid before I could stop it.

Ryan Carter stepped inside, and the air in the room shifted. He was taller than I remembered, broader, his jaw sharper, his presence heavier—like a man who'd spent three years carrying something that had slowly turned him to stone.

His eyes found mine, and he stopped walking.

For three full seconds, he just stared.

Then Vanessa rushed to his side, threading her arm through his. "Ryan, can you believe it? Grace is the surgeon they assigned to your mother. Isn't that a conflict of interest?"

Ryan didn't answer her. He was still looking at me.

"Grace?" His voice was rough, uncertain—as if he were seeing a ghost.

I met his gaze without flinching. "Mr. Carter. I'm your mother's surgeon. If your family has concerns, you're welcome to find someone else."

I turned and walked out.

Behind me, I heard Helen's panicked voice. "Ryan, get her back! Get her back right now!"

I kept walking.

My hands were trembling in my coat pockets, but my face gave nothing away.

Let them come to me.