I pushed off him, grabbed the tiny “Get Better” teddy bear he’d bought at the hospital gift shop, and stuffed it into my bag.

Anton stood looking out the window. Even dressed casually, he looked handsome and sophisticated. Sometimes, it was hard to believe that we were dating.

“About your swollen lips, though,” he said, turning to face me.

“What about them?”

“You know women pay a lot of money for their lips to look like that…” he said, barely holding back laughter.

I knew he was teasing me. I took the teddy bear from my bag and threw it at him. He caught it, laughing fully.

I laughed, too.

Anton was turning out to be the best at making me feel lighthearted in my less glamorous moments. And I’d almost been foolish enough to let him go. I mentally smacked myself, remembering how I was ready to throw in the towel just a few days ago.

There were still obstacles. When people found out I was dating the boss, the talks would be a huge challenge to overcome in such close proximity as the firm. I didn’t know how I would handle that, but it was worth it to have Anton. If the atmosphere in the office ended up being too uncomfortable for me to handle, I could always find a job at another law firm.

“I bet you’re still trying to think of a way to get out of using the wheelchair.” Anton tilted his head at me.

I chuckled, zipping up the bag. “You lost that bet; I plan on walking out of here. Two days in bed shouldn’t make me an invalid.”

“Let’s get out of here, then.” He grabbed my bag and lent me his arm for support. “Hold onto me, and if you’re unsteady on your feet, I’m carrying you to my car, no matter how much you protest.”

My mouth dropped open, and I burst out laughing. “I'll be fine.”

Once we stepped out, the sun was pleasantly warm against my skin compared to the cold inside the hospital. We were crossing the parking lot to reach Anton’s car when we heard an argument between a woman and a man. I didn’t give it any attention, but Anton abruptly stopped.

“That sounds like Reeva,” he muttered, displeased.

I craned my head to look to the far left of the parking lot where the voices were coming from, and sure enough, I recognized Reeva’s blonde profile exchanging words with a man in a white doctor's coat.

I tugged at Anton’s shirt so we could leave. He didn’t budged.

His eyebrows furrowed, he stiffened, and the muscle at his temple popped out as his jaw clenched. I knew to keep my peace.

“…and I didn't expect you to be so incompetent, so if you want to blame anyone, blame yourself!” Reeva was saying.

“Miss? Miss!” The man held his hand up to silence her, but she did not care. Their voices echoed.

Finally, Reeva fell silent, clutching her bag to her chest.

Even from where we stood, it was clear that the man was angry. Every breath made his chest heave with rage, and he held his hands clenched in fists at his sides. Yet, Reeva seemed to brush it off, as if there was nothing the doctor could do to her.

“This has gotten too close to home. I can assure you, if you don’t clean up this mess, I’m going to lose my job. And if I go down, I’ll bring you right along with me.”

Anton started walking, dragging me with him toward his car. “Let’s go.”

He was silent on the drive home.

I sat in the passenger seat, trying to form reassuring words that would ease some of his anger. It was clear he was reliving Reeva’s betrayal.

I took his hands and squeezed gently. “You’re a good man, Anton. It’s not your fault Reeva took advantage of that.”

His upper lip twitched, but he didn’t reply. He squeezed my fingers instead.

After he parked in front of Maddison’s building, he said, “Odd as it sounds, at one point, I had started to get used to the idea of being a father.”

“Were you?” I asked.