Page 153 of Love Sick

She leans back so her reflection in the mirror disappears. A shaky breath fills the silence before she continues. “Once Julian told me you broke up with him, I knew I couldn’t watch it anymore. Steve was in the middle of dealing with some ridiculous talk that you’d done something with an attending to get you a pass on a rotation. He knew none of it was true, and when I told him it was enough and asked him to fix it, he agreed. He set up those meetings and we agreed to marry so we could go public. It’s all—” she lets out a tired sigh “—so stupid, honestly. Anyone who knows you knows you wouldn’t do that.”

A derisive snort escapes my nose. “Thanks.”

“I wanted to protect both you and Steve, so I discussed it with him and we decided to marry. We’d planned to do it, anyway. His contract is very clear that married couples aren’t subject to those no-relationship rules. We made the decision two weeks ago and we married last weekend.”

A poisonous wrath stirs in my gut. “Congratulations.”

Her voice peps up. “No, don’t you see? This way, everyone will know it was me, and the rumors about you will fizzle.”

“How do you know they’ll fizzle, Alesha? Preconceived notions don’t vanish overnight.”

She climbs into the front passenger seat and faces me. Tear tracks stain her face. “Yeah, there will probably still be a little talk, but I’ve discussed this with Steve. He’s going to speak with all the program directors, set the record straight.”

I scoff. “It’s like you’re blind to reality. The rumors spawn on each other. There’s no stopping them. I’m a running joke, andyoudid that to me. This is your fault.”

“I’m trying to make it right.” Her gaze drops to her lap. “I’ll do whatever to fix this. I’ll listen if you want to scream at me, or if you want to tell me how it all made you really feel. Whatever you need.”

If she’d asked me to confide in her a week ago, I might have done it, but she never asked.

Because she didn’t want to know.

I can’t help but assume that her failure to ask was entirely selfish in nature. She didn’t want the guilt of knowing her actions hurt me.

But maybe I’m judging too harshly. I rub my eyes. Several silent moments pass until the wave of exhaustion rears its head again. “I need to think, Alesha. This is a lot.”

“All right.” She pats a quick rhythm on her knees, then faces me, eyes dewy. “I—we got back from our honeymoon this morning. I wanted to talk to you as soon as you got off. I do love you, Grace. If I’d known what you were going through—”

“It’s fine.”

“You gotta talk to me more. Open up, okay?”

No thanks, hypocrite.

She takes my hand, and the giant marquis diamond on her finger becomes apparent.

I lean forward to study it. “This is beautiful.”

“You could have one, too.”

I spin my head toward her, brow lifted.

“Please.” She scoffs playfully and wipes some moisture from her face. “You think that dork wouldn’t give you the world if you asked for it?”

Tears spring to my eyes and I shake my head. “He wouldn’t. I broke us.”

She squeezes my hand. “Broken things can be fixed, Grace. Look at us. I’m going to fix this. I promise.”

Strong doubts rise to the surface. I’m not sure what she could do to fix it, or even if fixing it would be enough. I swallow down my tears. “I need time.”

Pulling away, she exhales a sharp puff of air. “That’s fair. Let me know when you’re ready.” She opens the door but pauses when I say her name. “Yeah?”

“Thanks for trying to fix it. But… I don’t know if it will be enough.”

Her mouth twists. “You’re my girl. No matter what, remember that.”

After she leaves, I stare blindly through the window and relive the conversation. Alesha’s naive hope that the rumors will fizzle is foolish, right? It won’t all magically stop because she married a higher-up.

But does any of that matter, in the end?

---