“No, I won’t be there. You win, Gen. It’s over. I’m going to stay away from you. I’ve gone over every piece of our relationship and think I know how I went wrong, but if you won’t give me another chance, I can’t fight you.”
“We can never go back,” she whispered.
“I know.” For a brief moment, those first few months drifted past her vision and sadness leaked through. Once, she loved him. Wanted to marry him. Now he was just a stranger. Life was both odd and bittersweet. When Wolfe took her in his arms, all the pieces clicked into place. She’d never before felt such a bone-deep rightness in her soul.
“But there’s one thing I need to ask you,” he said.
Here we go. She narrowed her gaze.
“You need to come back to the hospital.”
Her muscles tightened. It took a few moments to catch her breath and speak calmly. “I can’t. You know why.”
David shook his head, intensity radiating around him. “You belong in medicine, Genevieve. You have a gift. I saw it from the very first, and to see you wasting away in some cheap matchmaking company is a crime.”
“Kinnections is a successful business that helps people find love. How dare you judge me.”
His lips pressed together. “You’re hiding there. I also know I’m the reason. Look, the idea of you working beside me, seeing you every day but not being able to claim you as mine, almost destroyed me. I did everything in my power to force you out. Another apology owed. So I’m transferring.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You’re the backbone of the surgical unit. And I don’t believe you. It’s just a trick to get me back.”
“No, Genevieve. I’ve been offered an opportunity at Boston Children’s Hospital. It’s time to make a move. I can do a lot more, especially in the teaching and surgical fields. I’ve been stifled for a while, but I didn’t want to admit it. Especially with you finishing up your residency and wanting to stay in New York.”
Shock hit her in waves. The opportunity of returning to the career she had lived and breathed for so long suddenly shimmered before her again. “Why are you telling me this? Am I supposed to believe you’re suddenly ready to accept our breakup? After you got a restraining order against Wolfe? And convinced my parents I was having emotional problems? Forced me from the hospital in the first place?”
He never flinched. Just gazed at her with the same intensity he used on the residents. “It’s the truth. I felt you slipping away and did everything in my power to keep you. I never trusted that asshole anyway—he was gunning for you the whole time. But I’m not about to waste the rest of my life begging you to come back to me. I wanted to tell you in person about my decision. Contact the residency director, Brian, and he’ll get you back into the program. I’ve already cleared it.”
Her heart thundered, roaring in her ears. “It may be too late.”
“It’s never too late. Don’t waste yourself on a career unworthy of you. You’re better than that.” His gaze flicked over her. “You’re better than Wolfe, too.”
She opened her mouth to protest but he’d already turned on his heel and walked away.
Gen stared at the empty pavement. So many decisions. She enjoyed Kinnections. It was more challenging than she originally thought, and working with her best friends was a dream come true.
But she was a doctor. A surgeon. The medical field was in her DNA, and though she’d tried to run and forget it, hoping she could have a fuller, more balanced life than before, Gen realized all roads led back to the hospital.
She had a lot to think about.
Gen headed toward her house, thoughts spinning.
WOLFE STARED AT THE large-screen monitor in front of him. He’d just closed a big account that would be booking all its future conferences at Purity. Screw you, Plaza. We have arrived.
He looked forward to telling Sawyer about his recent coup. Every win was another opportunity to give back to the man who’d offered him a chance and dragged him out of the gutter.
As usual, his blood heated at the idea of using his brain and skills to get what he wanted. Especially in business. His personal life had been a flat, unending desert plain with nothing in sight he craved. Made things so much easier. Empty, but easy.
Until Gen, of course. Now he bounced through his workday like a kid looking forward to Christmas.
He shook his head in self-mockery and looked around his office. He’d furnished it in a replica of Sawyer’s office in Italy. Mahogany wood. Burgundy carpet. Interesting sculptures and knickknacks that appealed to him. A floor-to-ceiling bookcase filled with rare editions and popular fiction. And a private entrance to a gym where he pounded out his frustrations on a punching bag to eighties heavy metal.