Neal’s POVThe first thing I noticed was the smell. Antiseptic. Sharp, clean, almost stinging my nose.Then the lights hit me, bright, white, unblinking. I squinted against them, forcing my eyes to adjust as my chest rose and fell like it was carrying bricks.Every breath hurts. My ribs screamed. My throat was dry, like I’d swallowed sand.And then the beeping came into focus. A heart monitor. Steady, irritating. Proof I was still alive, even though part of me wished I wasn’t.I blinked again and saw her, dark hair tied back, white coat, a small badge clipped to the pocket. She couldn’t have been older than forty. Her voice was calm, smooth, and professional as she leaned over me.“Mr. Neal? You’re awake.”My lips cracked as I whispered, “Where… am I?”“St. Mary’s Hospital,” she said. “You were struck by a vehicle. Broken ribs, bruised lungs. You’re lucky you survived.”Lucky.That word sat bitter on my tongue. Lucky would’ve been Elisa choosing me instead of parading Jack in my face.

Elisa’s POVThe steering wheel felt like ice under my hands. I’d been sitting in the hospital parking lot for almost an hour, the engine off, my heart beating too fast. I could see the glow of the building through the windshield, the big glass doors that kept sliding open as visitors came and left. It should have been simple, walk inside, check on Neal, sit by his bed like a loyal wife. But my chest tightened every time I pictured his eyes.Not the loving eyes I used to know. No. The eyes I saw last night when he looked at me like I was a stranger. Worse, like I was the enemy. There was something different about him after the accident, something harder in the way he stared at me, like I had already been judged and found guilty. And maybe I had.Because the truth was, I had betrayed him. I didn’t stand by him when he needed me most. While he was lying broken on the pavement, I ran to Jack. I chose Jack. And now, no matter how I tried to twist it, And no matter how I tried to hide it, I