Page 126 of Sweet Heart

“What? The little writer? Yeah, I’ve heard about her.”

My blood turns ice-cold.

“You know she can’t give you what I can, Catherine. You need a person who challenges you, not one who gawks at you as if you hung the moon. She’ll bore you in no time, and then you will have accomplished nothing. Again.”

She shakes her head as the words slowly sink in. They do something weird within me. Heat clashes with cold, and I feel an overpowering urge to punch her in the face. Instead, I close my eyes and take a deep breath, which she mistakes for surrender.

“We were so good together, Cat… we can be good together again.” Her whisper comes out softly.

I open my eyes just in time to see her bend forward, her lips closing in on mine. My body suddenly comes to life. My hands shoot up, pressing firmly against her shoulders, and my head twists back from her.

“No,” I say firmly, and Alex staggers back from the impact with which I push her. “I have been clear with you. I have a partner, and I do not want you in my life. Try anything like this again, and I will report you to HR. Do I make myself clear?”

Alex gapes at me, her chest rising and falling almost as fast as mine. She scans my face, and for a moment, she stays frozen in place.

“Please see yourself out,” I say, my voice unbelievably steady.

She nods and turns on her heel, not saying another word until she reaches the door. That’s where she glances over her shoulder.

“My apologies, Doctor Durand. I misread the situation. I will have a memo on the improvements ready and on your desk by the morning.”

With that, she steps out, and I can finally let go of the shuddering breath that was locked inside my chest. Dios mío.

Chapter 45

Mary

As soon as she steps inside the door, I know something is off. Not because she is louder, quieter, or much of anything else that she usually isn’t. Her behavior is the same. The keys go into the bowl, the coat onto the hook, her bag on top of the cabinet, and then her heels come off. But there is a certain gravity in it. A pull I can’t describe but feel all the way from the couch.

I’m already moving toward her when her eyes find mine, and in that moment, it is as if the clouds lift and the sun breaks through. Her lips twitch. Not into a smile, not exactly, but into something that softens her face.

“Amor.”

It feels as if the word relieves something in her, and when my arms come around her, she presses her forehead against mine and sighs deeply.

“Rough day, baby?”

I feel her grip me a little tighter as a strangled hum comes out. When she frowns, I feel it against my skin, and I immediately lean back to look at her. This isn’t her usual rough-day demeanor. It’s not about a patient.

“What happened?”

She draws in a deep breath and clenches her jaw, making the muscle in it roll, before her eyes find mine.

“We need to talk.”

My eyes are stinging, and I have to force myself to take deep breaths when Cat sits down on the other side of the couch. The small space between us already feels like a divide as big as the Grand Canyon. My heart thuds. What is happening right now? Why does she look so worried?

“Baby, are you okay? Please tell me you’re not sick or anything.”

“Sick?” Her eyes widen, and she lets out a surprised huff. “Ay, no, amor, perdón. Nothing like that.”

She is quick to apologize and reaches for my hand. As soon as our fingers touch, I feel myself calm down. I let out a shuddering breath and meet her gaze again, nodding at her to continue. Her small smile falters instantly, and she nods again.

“Claro. Amor, something happened last week, and I wasn’t sure how to tell you. That was stupid of me because I should’ve just said it.”

“Said what? You are making me nervous, Cat. What is going on?”

I search her face desperately, trying to find something to hold on to. Something to ground me, to anchor me to this world. When her gaze remains steady on mine, I can breathe again. Still with me.