Today, Tessa had to go in for a consultation and an in-person checkup at the hospital. And even though she’d told him not to, Nathan insisted on coming with her.

After changing out of the hospital gown and back into her own dress, she stepped into the consultation room, where Nathan and Dr. Bennett were already waiting. All the tests were done. Now it was time to hear the results.

She sat down beside her ex-husband and watched as the doctor flipped through a few pages of the report.

“Mr. and Mrs. Hale,” Dr. Bennett said. Tessa frowned at the last name but stayed silent. She didn’t want to interrupt a moment this important. “The gastritis is under control. Tomorrow morning, we’ll proceed with a biopsy.”

She let out a long breath, feeling the pressure in her chest slowly lift.

“Here’s a list of things you need to follow before the procedure,” the doctor added, handing a sheet of paper to Nathan. It listed everything she wasn’t allowed to do, from fasting and food restrictions to medications that needed to be stopped.

Tessa grabbed the paper before Nathan could. She was the patient, not him.

Once the consultation was over, they walked toward the reception desk. Tessa was still busy reading the instructions when Nathan’s arm suddenly wrapped around her waist. The unexpected touch sent a chill down her spine.

“I need to talk to the doctor for a second. Wait here,” he whispered against her ear.

Her skin tingled, and she quickly covered it with a look of indifference. “Talk about what?” she asked suspiciously.

He raised a brow. “It’s a secret. Not about you.” His expression was flat. “Just sit and wait for me,” he said before turning around and walking away.

Tessa wanted nothing more than to throw something at the back of his head, but the only thing in her hands was that stupid instruction sheet.

So she sat down in one of the chairs and went back to reading the long list of restrictions.

“At least I’m still allowed to breathe,” she muttered under her breath.

“Tessa?”

That voice wasn’t Nathan’s.

Her mind went on high alert. It had been a long time since anyone had called her name in public, and it was almost never a good sign. People who used to know her usually threw insults once they realized who she was.

She’d done everything she could to hide her identity, but somehow the hat and sunglasses weren’t enough.

Tessa pulled the brim of her hat down lower and bowed her head, trying to hide her face as much as possible.

“Tessa Caldwell, I know that’s you!”

A pair of black boots stopped right in front of her.

Slowly, she lifted her gaze and found a man with warm brown eyes standing there.

“Adrian?” she asked, disbelief in her voice as she took off her sunglasses. She stood up, needing to make sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her.

She could hardly believe it. It had been two years since she’d last heard anything about him. Adrian looked so different now. His build was stronger and more mature, and his style was far more polished than she remembered. His eyes were calm and confident, giving him a charisma he hadn’t had before.

Without warning, Adrian pulled her into his arms.

“I knew it was you. I’d recognize you anywhere,” he said, holding her tightly.

Tessa froze, not sure how to react. She hadn’t expected this, not from him. Not when the whole world hated her now. And definitely not after what she’d done to Adrian, after how she’d broken his heart.

Adrian had been her best friend. Two years ago, he’d even asked her father for permission to marry her. Robert had been thrilled about it. Adrian came from the same social circle, and the marriage would have been a perfect move for the Caldwell family. But Tessa had been madly in love with Nathan back then and had turned down the proposal for a love she believed was real.

How naive she’d been.

Not long after the rejection, Adrian left the country. He decided to heal by helping his father with the family business in Italy. Apparently, he’d stayed there for years, and it was as if he’d vanished completely.

Finally, he pulled back, staring at her like she was a ghost.

“I thought we’d never see each other again,” he said quietly, his eyes scanning her from head to toe. “I came back a month ago. I heard everything about you.”

Tessa just shrugged.

She had turned down his proposal as gently as she could, but the guilt had never left her. She never meant to hurt anyone, yet that was exactly what she’d done.

Even so, he was standing in front of her now with a warm smile. There was no hatred in his eyes, no anger. Not even a hint of satisfaction over her downfall.

Anyone else would have mocked her for what happened with her father and her divorce from Nathan. But not Adrian.

“Yeah... a lot has happened,” she muttered awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck.

“Are you okay? Do you need any help?” Adrian asked, his hands now resting on her shoulders, and she could feel genuine concern in his touch. “Where are you staying? What are you doing here? Are you sick?”

The questions came one after another. Tessa lowered her eyes to the medical papers in her hands, then looked back up at him.

“Yeah. But I don’t even know what’s really going on yet. I’m having a biopsy tomorrow,” she said softly. For the first time, she shared that information with someone else.

“Biopsy?” Adrian’s eyes widened. His expression probably mirrored hers when she first heard the news. “How are you feeling? What’s your condition like now? Are you living alone while you’re sick? Tessa, if you need help with anything, just tell me.”

Tessa blinked a few times, speechless.

She studied his expression, the look in his eyes, the tone of his voice. All of it was real. He truly cared about her. He wasn’t pretending, he wasn’t trying to use her, and he wasn’t trying to control her. He was just offering help, freely and sincerely.

If only they’d met two weeks earlier...

“Why didn’t you pick up my call?” he asked again. “And your number’s not active anymore.”

Tessa gave a faint, half-hearted smile. “My phone broke. It fell and shattered just as I was about to answer your call.” A stupid lie.

“Do you have a new one?”

She nodded.

“Then save my number,” Adrian said.

With a hesitant hand but no intention of refusing, Tessa followed his words. She typed his number into her phone and slipped it into her pocket.

“I got a new number too. Save mine,” she said.

Adrian pulled out his phone, ready to type. But just as Tessa opened her mouth to give him the number, a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and yanked her roughly away from Adrian.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Nathan growled, pulling Tessa into his arms. His other hand slid to her back as if to shield her. “Stay away from her.”

Tessa turned to look at Adrian. Shock was written all over his face.

“Tessa... why are you still with him?” he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.