Who’s that?! –Liana
Liana
I’d been looking forward to this day all week.
Elias was finally getting his cast off.
He pretended it wasn’t a big deal.
“just some gauze and glue”, he said.
but I could tell he was relieved. He kept flexing his fingers like they were brand new.
We were at Saint Andrew’s Medical Center again, the same place I’d run through panicked not long ago. Today, though, everything felt lighter. Normal.
He went in first, and I waited in the hallway scrolling through my phone, sipping watered-down vending machine coffee.
And then, I heard a woman laugh.
A warm, low kind of laugh.
I looked up.
Elias was standing at the corner of the reception desk, holding a clipboard.
And in front of him stood her.
Tall. Clean white button-up tucked into tailored slacks. A shiny watch on one wrist. Hair tied back in a soft wave. Effortless, polished.
Beautiful.
She tilted her head, smiling like they shared some private joke.
“Still the same smile,” she said. “Dangerous.”
He smiled, just barely.
And it hit me like a slap.
Elias
I didn’t expect to see her.
Jenna Holt.
We dated for a little while. She was smart. Ambitious. The kind of person who already had a five-year plan and a backup.
I was still working SWAT rotations and drinking straight from the bottle.
We ended things fine. No mess. No drama.
But seeing her again, especially with Liana somewhere nearby was… not ideal.
She stepped in with a confident, easy grin.
“Wolfe,” she said. “Didn’t think I’d find you anywhere near a hospital unless someone was bleeding.”
I gave her a quick nod. “Just a follow-up.”
“You look good.”
“Thanks.”
She smiled again. “Well, if you’re free sometime, we should catch up properly. It’s been what—five years?”
Before I could respond, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye.
Liana.
Standing frozen near the vending machines, watching.
Shit.
I didn’t do anything wrong… but I felt caught anyway.
Liana
She brushed past me as she left, the scent of her perfume trailing behind like she’d planned it.
I didn’t say anything on the drive home.
Neither did he.
But I couldn’t stop replaying it.
Still the same smile. We should catch up.
He didn’t look uncomfortable.
He didn’t even look surprised.
How many times had this happened?
How many beautiful, confident women had smiled at him like they used to know every part of him?
And how many of them had he smiled back at? Or more…
By the time we walked through the front door, I couldn’t hold it in.
I dropped my bag and turned to him. “How many more?”
He blinked. “What?”
I stared at him, chest tight. “How many more women like that do you have floating around this city?”
“Liana—”
“Do they all look like that? Do they all just show up and laugh like they’ve kissed you a hundred times before?”
His face shifted. “She’s just someone I used to know.”
“You dated her.” I snapped.
“Yes. Years ago.”
I laughed, but it was sharp. Bitter. “Right. And I’m sure she’s the only one.”
He stepped forward. “Why does this matter?”
I looked away. “Because I saw the way she looked at you. I saw the way you looked at her.”
“I didn’t look at her any way.”
I crossed my arms. “Tell me something, Elias. Why me?”
He paused. And that pause hurt more than anything.
“Liana—”
I shook my head. “You had options. Smart, confident, whole women. And you chose me. someone who was broken. Who barely knew how to function. Why?”
He looked like he wanted to argue. Like he wanted to hold me.
But I stepped back.
“Forget it. I know it’s stupid. I just—need some time alone.”
Then I turned and went to our room. Closed the door. And waited to hear his footsteps.
But they didn’t come.
