Chapter 3

The next morning, Nicole showed up at the local clinic, a basket of muffins in her hand and a concerned look on her face. She walked to Martha's room, but the bed was empty. The sheets were stripped.

Panic flashed across her features. She spun around and found me leaning against the wall in the hallway, watching her.

"Ethan! Where is she? What did you do?" she demanded, her voice sharp.

"I got her better care," I said calmly.

"Better care? I'm a doctor here! I was overseeing her case!"

"Were you?" I asked, my voice laced with ice. "Or were you just making sure she stayed put until you could redirect her liver to Caleb?"

Her face went pale. She tried to recover, to put on her mask of gentle concern. "Ethan, that's a horrible thing to say. It was an accident in our past life. A terrible, tragic accident. You know I love you. I've always loved you."

"Love?" I let out a short, bitter laugh. "Is that what you call it?" I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "I remember everything, Nicole. I remember finding that locket you kept hidden in your old jewelry box. The one with the little lock of baby hair inside. The one labeled 'My Angel'."

Her eyes widened in horror.

"I always thought it was from a pet or something," I continued, pressing my advantage. "But now I know. It was your child, wasn't it? Yours and Caleb's. A child you lost. That's who you're really fighting for."

She was cornered, her mask completely shattered. But instead of breaking, she doubled down. Her fear turned to anger. "You're being a fool! This changes nothing! We should get married. I can still help you, help Martha!"

Just then, Caleb appeared at the end of the hall, leaning heavily on a nurse. He looked frail, his face etched with fake sorrow.

"Nicole, darling," he said weakly. "Don't fight with him. It's my fault. I should just... go."

The performance was flawless. Nicole's eyes immediately softened, her protective instincts kicking in. She rushed to his side, glaring back at me. "See what you've done?"

I just watched them, the two actors in their pathetic play, and felt nothing but a cold, empty void where my love for her used to be.