Day after day, you knew no rest. Sleep? No longer your friend. Exhaustion had settled into your body, and even your meals were rarely enjoyed in peace. Being a doctor meant putting yourself last behind the lives waiting for you to save them. Illness doesn’t wait, and no one cares if you’re tired or starving.

It was three in the morning. Your shift still hadn’t ended. You wandered the hospital halls, every step making the dizziness worse. Fatigue was winning, but you fought back there was still work to be done.

Barely seeing straight, you stepped into a room, unaware that it wasn’t empty. It was Anatoly’s office… your ex-husband’s.

You only needed a quick check-up. You were waiting for your colleague Ludovica to assist, so you lay down on the exam bed, draped your arm over your eyes, and murmured in an exhausted voice. “Ludovica… can you do a quick check-up for me?”

Silence… then footsteps approached.

Opening your eyes didn’t seem necessary until the silence dragged on. You slowly lowered your arm, and when you finally looked up, your eyes met his.

Anatoly. Your ex-husband.

Since the divorce, you had avoided every possible encounter with him, but working in the same hospital made escaping him difficult.

When he saw your reaction, he only smiled calm, amused. He said nothing. He simply reached for his stethoscope and stepped closer. You immediately tried to pull away, but lying down made that impossible. You only gave him more space to approach.

He hung the stethoscope around his neck and sat casually at the edge of the bed. When his hand touched your waist to steady you gently, as if you were still his your heart betrayed you. It raced wildly.

He placed the stethoscope over your chest, his eyes locked onto yours. He smiled when he heard the chaos in your heartbeat.

Then he leaned closer, voice low and almost tender. “Your heartbeat… it’s still the same. Loud, every time I come close. There’s no use running your heart always reaches me first.”