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His eyes snap open, dark and cold. “Only on paper, Hazel.” I flinch at that. “We married for money, not love, remember? I don’t give a fuck about the money anymore. I just want to be left alone.” He closes his eyes and turns away from me once more.

He might as well have stabbed me right in the chest.

That agreement we made months ago feels like a cruel joke now—because nothing about this, about us, resembles what we were then.

Part of me wants to fight him on this, but how can I when he already decided I’m better off without him? And I can see how exhausted he is from what his body just went through.

And even though I know he’s full of shit, part of me needs some space too—to process everything I just learned, to come to grips with the fact that the man I married is still a stranger in ways I never realized.

I stand from the bed, looking down at him. “Fine. I’ll go,” I say quietly. “But I’m not leaving , Gage. I’ll give you some space, go home and shower, and check on Blueberry—but I’m. Not. Leaving. You.” I say, letting every word land, sharp and deliberate.

He turns back to face me.

“I love you,” I say as I place a hand over my heart. “I fell in love with you, Gage. And you don’t get to push me away because you’re afraid of that.” Leaning down, I kiss his lips. “I will be back.”

I turn for the door, glancing over my shoulder one last time, but he’s not looking at me.

He’s staring out the window, lost in thoughts I can’t reach.

I just hope I can help him find his way back.

***

When I enter the waiting room, my entire family rises to their feet, waiting anxiously for me to tell them what I learned. But hell, I’ve barely come to grips with it.

Instead, my eyes zero in on my oldest brother and I rush over to where he’s standing. “You knew?”

“Hazel—” Dallas starts, but I cut him off, shoving his chest even though he doesn’t budge.

“No! You knew there was something wrong with him and you didn’t tell me!”

“I was trying to let him tell you,” Dallas fires back, his voice booming in the small room.

My mother comes over and holds me to her chest. “Lower your voices, both of you. I’ve had enough drama in this family for one day.”

“How could you keep this from me?” My body shakes as I cry.

“What’s going on, Hazel? What is wrong with Gage?” Astrid asks, rubbing my back.

“Gage has a heart condition, and I had no idea. But Dallas knew.”

Dallas drags a hand through his already disheveled hair, frustration etched across his face.

“I just knew something was off because I found his pills when we were on the fishing trip. I didn’t know all the details, but I told him he needed to tell you—by today.

” He exhales sharply. “But when I saw the way you were still looking at him, I knew damn well he hadn’t been honest with you. ”

Penn steps closer. “What kind of pills?”

“Beta blockers,” Dallas finishes. “After a quick Google search, I knew there were a few different reasons why he could be taking them, including for the heart.” He turns to me. “I swear, I didn’t know anything more than that.”

A hollow laugh slips from my lips. “Well, thanks to you, he ended up in the hospital and wants nothing to do with me.”

Parker takes a step toward me. “He said that?”

“It’s not Dallas’s fault that Gage is here, honey,” my mother says, lowering her voice. And I know she’s right, but blaming someone else for this pain feels better than blaming Gage.

God, why did I do this to myself? Why did I let this man in when I knew better?

Because you couldn’t fight it, Hazel . And remember, you tried.

“Is he okay though?” Willow asks. “Is he going to be okay?”

I wipe at my nose, taking the tissue Astrid offers. “I honestly don’t know. I didn’t get much out of him or the doctors before he”—a sob escapes—“told m e to leave.”

“And you did?” Cashlynn asks, eyes narrowing in disbelief. “That doesn’t sound much like you.”

I throw my hands in the air. “What was I supposed to do? Maybe he just needs some space.”

“He probably hates you seeing him like that,” Parker says, looking at his wife. “I know I hated letting Cashlynn see me weak.”

“But he’s not weak. I mean, he’s been dealing with this life-changing diagnosis on his own for who knows how long. That takes insane strength. Or in his case, stupid strength.”

“What is the condition?” Parker asks.

“Something called HCM.” I blow my nose and throw my tissues in the trash as Dallas comes up to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

“I’m sorry, Hazelnut. I wish I’d been wrong. I wish tonight had gone differently. But maybe it’s better that you know now.”

I exhale sharply, shaking my head. “He would have told me, Dallas,” I say. “We had plans to talk about our future this week, and you ruined it.” I turn away from him, but he reaches out to stop me.

“I’m sorry you had to find out like this, but I will never apologize for looking out for you, for trying to protect you.”

“Well, guess what? I got hurt anyway, and now I have no idea what the future looks like for me and the man I love.”

***

“I thought I wouldn’t have any more tears left by now, but I guess I was wrong.” I blow my nose again and toss the tissue into the growing pile on the couch cushion beside me.

“ God, I’m so sorry, Hazel,” Laney says through the phone. It’s one in the morning, but I can’t sleep. Luckily, Laney is going through her own personal crisis, so she was up and called me as soon as she saw my text message.“What do I do?”

“You go back to the hospital in the morning like you told him you would.”

“But what if he keeps pushing me away? What if he’s dead set on using this as his reason not to be with me?”

“When you have a health condition, it’s normal to feel like a burden. Believe me, I know that feeling all too well.”

My chest tightens. “I know you do.”

Laney has type 1 diabetes, and I’ve seen firsthand how it’s affected her relationships. How it’s made her push people away before they could leave first.

“But Gage doesn’t have anyone,” I whisper.

“Even more of a reason to keep showing up for him.”

I let out a sigh. “God, how did I end up here?”

“Diane Kingston bribed you with 5.1 million dollars to marry her nephew.”

I nod. “Oh, yeah. That’s right.”

“And then you went and fell in love with him like she said you would.”

“Is this supposed to be helping?”

Laney laughs. “Yes, because even though you thought you were destined to be alone for the rest of your life, somehow she knew better.”

Her words hit deeper than I expect. I glance around my quiet apartment, the silence heavier than usual.

I miss him.

“I was wrong. I just hope that Gage realizes he is too.”

***

“ Um, excuse me? I’m here to see Gage Kingston,” I say as the nurse continues to stare at her screen.

“Give me one second, hon.” Her eyes bounce all over the screen before her nose scrunches up. “That’s weird.”

“What is?”

When her eyes lift to mine, I can already tell I’m not going to like what she has to say. “Mr. Kingston checked out about an hour ago.”

“I’m sorry. What?”

She nods, looking back at the screen. “He’s not a patient in this hospital anymore. I’m sorry. He didn’t say anything to you?”

I look down at my phone, expecting to see a text or missed call from him.

But there’s nothing—which says a lot without saying anything at all.