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“Cancer?” Julian cut in.

“Well,” she grimaced. “It’s a possibility, but not likely. Especially for her age. The most likely culprit is endometriosis.” She watched me in caution as she continued, “There are treatments that can help, but I need to be able to make a correct diagnosis.”

I had a strong suspicion what she might say, but still had to ask, “And to do that, you’ll need to do…?”

“A pelvic exam,” she said. “Or a transvaginal ultrasound.”

My ears were buzzing, but even so, I was certain I’d heard her correctly. That was exactly what I thought. I’d seen images of such things on Google—I knew how the process would go—andno thank you.

“That’s okay.” I released Julian’s hand and pushed to my feet, trying, but failing, to ignore the two men hovering at my side. I stepped past her—it was rude, especially since she’d gone out of her way to see me, but I’d apologize later. “I’m going home now.”

“Bianca,” Dr. Kohler softly called after me, her words reaching me just as my hand closed over the doorknob. “No matter what it is, even in the best-case scenario, if you don’t take care of it, things will get worse.”

I couldn’t breathe and my stomach churned in pain. “W-worse?”

“It can cause infertility,” she replied.

“What do you care?” I faced her, hysteria and fear ripping from my throat. I was dizzy with it and was past the point of caring about Julian and Titus’s tentative expressions. “I’m not supposed to have children anyway. Isn’t that why everyone decided to ruin my life?”

Dr. Kohler sucked in a breath as she watched me with wide eyes—belatedly, I realized she’d never seen me truly angry before. “I’ve always cared,” she replied, wiping her hands once more. “The council has never had my loyalty, that should be obvious by now. I only want you to be happy.”

“Well, guess what? I’m not happy.” The white room spun around me and I clenched my fists at my side, fighting to keep my balance.

Julian stepped forward, reaching for me. “Darling, I—”

He froze, expression paling, when I glared at him. “Don’t try to change my mind. You told me I could say no,” I accused.

“Youcansay no!” The fear was thick between us, and his blue eyes swam with emotion. “Let’s talk about what wecando, then we’ll go home. But first, you need to calm down.”

“I am calm!” I hissed, turning on my heel and slamming open the door. How dare he; he was the one who told me I had options. Suddenly, in my anger, the pain was so much easier to ignore. “I’m leaving,” I called behind me, unable to look at them anymore. “Thanks for seeing me.”

I stalked from the room, almost tripping on the pink-scrubbed nurse from earlier as she passed the door. She almost dropped the tray she was carrying and barely regained her footing in time to prevent herself crashing into the floor.

“Mrs.—” she began, but I stepped around her.

“Sorry.” The heat rose up the back of my neck. This was the last thing I needed—more people to witness my humiliation. “Thanks for your help.”

Someone moved to the doorway, but I wouldn’t let them stop me, and, without even looking back, I took off down the hallway. Bryce was still in the waiting room, face buried in his phone as I burst through the double doors, but he hadn’t even jumped to his feet before I’d left the building.