Chapter 13

As soon as the car rolls forward, I ask, “Where did you arrange the flowers and chocolate for her? Doesn’t look like there are any shops around here.”

“I’ve got people,” he says casually.

“People?”

“I’ve got staff who can arrange things for me. The same one who brought your bag and phone from the party.” He points to my lap.

My glance drops to the handbag resting there. I forgot to grab my bag and phone when I left the party completely drunk. When I woke up this morning, they were already in the room. I didn’t even realize it until now, until he pointed it out. I think I’m still hungover, half forgetting things. I close my eyes and try to think. Did I forget anything else, something really important?

“What’re you thinking?” he asks. I can feel his head turn toward me even though my eyes are closed.

“Nothing,” I say. “I just realized I didn’t even pick up my bag and phone from the party yesterday. I’m trying to remember if there’s anything else I forgot.” I open my eyes and turn to him. “Is there anything else I should know?”

He laughs. “You’re sitting in a different car from the one you left the party in.”

I look around. He is right. This is an ordinary car with normal seats, not the expensive leather ones I threw up on and ruined. So he did change the car in between. “When did you change it?” I ask.

“After taking you from the party. I went to my place and replaced it.”

“Why? Because I ruined it?”

“Definitely not. I am a surgeon. I work with blood and all the unpleasant things that come with it. Vomiting is probably the least of my problems.”

“Then why did you change the car?” I ask, my brows furrowing.

“Ferrari always draws attention. It wasn’t nice driving around with a semi-conscious drunk girl in my Ferrari.”

“Then why didn’t we stay at your place instead? Why’d you bring me here?”

“I wasn’t planning to bring you here. After changing the car, I took you to your place. You refused to get down. I could’ve still taken you inside, but I didn’t want to draw attention. You live close to the hospital, and people there might know me, so I brought you here.”

I pause, then ask again, “Why didn’t you take me back to your place instead?”

He takes a deep breath before continuing. “I didn’t go back to my place because staff come there in the morning to clean and cook. I didn’t want them to see me with you and report it to my mom. My mom’s very curious about my life. She makes sure nothing secret goes on in it. Also, my parents don’t know about my breakup with Nellie. I didn’t want them finding out this way.”

Hearing about their breakup from his mouth feels different. I knew they were separated, not just from rumours, but because Dr. Brooks blamed me for it. Still, hearing it from him makes my mind spin.

I breathe in slowly, my fingers brushing the strap of my small bag. “Did you…” I stop, gathering my courage, then glance at him. “Did you break up with Dr. Brooks because of me?”

His face drains of colour for a moment before settling back into a smile that doesn’t look genuine. “Why do you think that?”

“I’m not sure,” I say. “But Dr. Brooks thinks I’m the reason.”

“That’s what she told you yesterday at the party.”

“You saw that?”

“I saw everyone you spoke to.”

That doesn’t surprise me, considering he was staring at me the whole time.

“She accused me of breaking your relationship,” I add.

He sighs, clearly irritated, but doesn’t say anything. I want the answer from him, not silence. I clear my throat. “Am I the reason behind your breakup?” I ask.

He rubs his temple, like he doesn’t want to say it, then finally does. “Yes. You’re the reason behind our breakup.”

“What does that mean?” I ask.

“What do you think it means?” he counters, glancing at me for a split second before focusing back on the road.

“That means…” I repeat, nervously biting my lip, then trail off.

“That means,” he nudges, stealing another glance at me.

“That means you’re in love with me?”

“That’s true,” he replies, completely normal.

“You fell in love with me, so you broke up with your partner without even confirming if I had someone or if I was seeing anyone.” I rush the words out in one breath, stunned.

He keeps his gaze fixed on the road, like he’s navigating the Coquihalla, where one wrong move can cost you. “You don’t have a boyfriend. Not that it mattered.”

I’m confused by what he means by that. It sounds like even if I did have a boyfriend, it wouldn’t matter. Once he wants me, I’d be his, no matter what, even if I didn’t want it, even if I loved someone else.

I want to question that, but instead I take another route. “You called Jake my boyfriend multiple times.”

“Jake’s been in a relationship for seven months.”

I give my head a small shake, a gasp slipping out. “What, he has a girlfriend? Why’s he keeping it a secret?”

“His girlfriend has cancer and isn’t doing well. That’s why he left early yesterday. So I knew he wasn’t your boyfriend.”

“You know everything about him too.”

“I know everything about anyone who crosses paths with you.”

I’m impressed by how much interest he takes in me. This is the first time in my life someone’s gone this far to know me. I’ve had countless proposals, but no one’s ever put in this much effort. Still, it feels like it crosses a line. It feels invasive and creepy.

I turn to look at him. “Do you think it’s okay to do that? It feels like you don’t respect my privacy.”

He doesn’t reply. His expression doesn’t change, like he doesn’t even acknowledge how unsettling it is.

“You knew Jake wasn’t a threat, yet you moved him to oncology,” I say after a moment of silence.

“I don’t like anyone getting too close to you,” he replies.

I don’t like how authoritative he sounds. He sounds proud, like his money gives him control over everything. I want to break that arrogance by saying something he doesn’t already know about me. “What if I have a crush on somebody? You can’t read my mind,” I say.

“You don’t,” he replies, sounding more certain than I am. “Not right now, at least. No crush. No boyfriend. You never had a boyfriend to begin with. You never even had your first kiss.”

I stare at him for a long moment. “How far into my life do you know about me?” I ask, stunned.

“Even before your birth,” he says confidently, and I know he is telling the truth.

I move my hands up and down, puffing out air, trying to calm myself. “So you were telling the truth when you said you know me more than I know myself.”

“I don’t lie,” he declares.

This isn’t normal. None of this is normal. His staff must’ve collected all this information about me, of course, without my knowledge. This couldn’t have happened overnight. Which means what I assumed was random attention on empty roads or in malls wasn’t random. It was planned, at least some of them. It also means that while he was harassing me at work, bullying me, he was also digging into my life behind the scenes.

Why?

I turn fully toward him, my eyes locked on his face. “Then why were you rude to me all this time? Was it my work? You don’t like how I work?”

“Nothing about your work. I like how you work. In fact, you’re one of the smartest, most knowledgeable nurses I’ve met, considering your short experience.”

My voice goes up without me meaning to. “Then why did you torture me at work?”

He takes a long moment before answering, as if deciding whether to tell me or not. “I fell in love with you the first time I saw you. It’s never happened to me before, and I don’t want it to. I was finding reasons to hate you.” He turns his face away, almost ashamed.

“Why?” My voice comes out sharper.

“The first reason was Nellie. I didn’t want to break her heart.”

“The second?”

“My parents. They won’t approve of you because they’re close to Nellie’s family. Especially my Mom. Our mothers are close now.”

It’s a lot to take in, but my questions keep piling up. “Is there another reason?”

“Yes, but not right now.” His face stays turned away, like he’s hiding something.

“So when you said you intended to make my life your business, you meant it.”

He slows the car, signals, and pulls over. Then he turns to me, his eyes locking onto mine.

“I meant every letter of what I said.”

“I don’t like it.” I shake my head as if disappointed. “It’s scary how much you know about me. You know so much about me, even that I never had my first kiss.”

“I knew it. And you confirmed it yesterday when you tried to kiss me.”

My stomach drops. Did I actually try to kiss him? What else did I do? That’s humiliating.

“We didn’t kiss, right?” I ask quietly.

“Not yet,” he says. “I want it to happen with both our consent, when we both understand what’s going on.”

I scan his face and body language. He’s leaning slightly toward the door, hands on the steering wheel, fingers tapping. He isn’t planning to kiss me now; I can tell.

I study his face again. He’s a full package. Anyone would fall for that look, if not for his money. But I can’t. I simply can’t.

“Listen.” I unbuckle my seat belt and turn sideways, one leg on the seat facing him. “You’re rich, handsome, young. Everything any girl would want.” He watches me closely, curiosity in his eyes. I look away, avoiding his eyes completely. “But I don’t want to date you. You’re not someone I’m looking for. You’re not the one in my dreams.”

He laughs. “You’re being silly,” he says.

I shake my head slowly, drawing out each word like I’m trying to convince myself. “I’m not.”

He lets out a soft chuckle. “You’re lying. You’re not even looking at me,” he says, noticing my wandering gaze.

I force my eyes back to his. “ I am not lying,” I reply firmly. “Just because I’m not on your level financially or physically doesn’t mean I don’t have my own feelings or dreams.”

“Financially, I agree,” he nods. “But physically…” He pauses, his eyes slowly moving over me. I grow self-conscious and lower my eyes. He continues, “Especially since I’ve seen everything… You’re flawless.”

“That’s not the point,” I say, lifting my eyes. “The point is I don’t want to love you just because you love me.”

“What do you find missing in me that you think you’ll find in someone else?” His hand moves slowly, finds mine, and rubs it gently, and a wave of warmth spreads through me.

He’s smart, attractive, and rich. He showers me with attention I’ve never received before. For a moment, I feel myself forgetting everything he did to me, starting to fall for him. But my conscience starts poking at me twice as hard. Whatever I am, I cannot be a home wrecker like Dr. Brooks accused me of being. I do not want to be the reason he and Dr. Brooks separated.

“I don’t know,” I say, pulling my hand back from his grip. “I’ve never been in a relationship. I want it to happen organically, not forced.”

“I’ll wait,” he says. “I’ll wait for it to happen naturally.”

“I don’t think it’ll ever happen.”

“Why wouldn’t it?” His warmth disappears instantly.

“Because you’re out of my league, the opposite of someone I want to share my life with.”

He adjusts the mirror, eyes on his reflection, fingers brushing his chin. “Is it my looks?”

“You look great,” I say. “I haven’t seen a man this handsome in a long time.”

He doesn’t argue that point, like he knows what I said is true.

“Then what is it? My job?” he asks. “I know many nurses who prefer not to date anyone in the healthcare field.”

“I don’t have any such demands.”

“Then what is it?” His voice rises. “My temperament? My personality? I’ll change if you don’t like something in me.”

“It’s not about your character either.”

“Then what is it?” He slams the steering wheel, impatience and frustration mixing in his voice.

“I don’t know,” I say. “I can’t explain it. I don’t feel the spark.”

He unbuckles his seat belt and shifts himself slightly, moving closer to me. “Why’re you lying to me? I saw how you felt yesterday. You showed it when you were begging to…” He stops.

“Begging for what? Begging to sleep with you…?”

“You did everything you could to get me into bed with you.” He pauses and adds, “Not only that, you told me how you felt about me.”

“I was drunk,” I say quickly. “I didn’t mean anything I said.”

“It felt like it came from your heart,” he says, leaning closer, so close he’s almost touching me.

For a moment, I freeze. I can’t move back. I’m locked in by his looks, his unblinking eyes, the heat in them pulling me in. His presence is overwhelming. His breathing picks up as he leans closer, his lips nearly brushing mine, his eyes dropping to my mouth, then lifting back to my eyes. He strokes my face softly, tucking my hair away from it.

I force myself back, blocking every feeling, shutting down every thought, every temptation.

I push against his chest with both hands, hard.

“Don’t you understand?” I yell. “I don’t have feelings for you and I never will. Don’t waste your time chasing me.”

I open the door and step out, clutching my bag, slamming the door shut behind me, like I’m slapping him across the face.

For a second, I expect him to get out, to call me back, to try again. I steady myself, already preparing not to get back into that car, not to fall for his looks, no matter how strong the pull is.

Instead, he drives off, speeding away at nearly one hundred fifty on a sixty road.

I stand there alone, watching him disappear.