Chapter 1

Seven years ago, the night before Stan Fisher left for Hillview City, we crossed the line for the first time.

After that wild night, he held me close in his arms. "Ramona, I'll marry you when I get back."

Seven years later, while I was working at the hospital, I caught sight of someone I thought I'd never see again.

At first, I figured my eyes were playing tricks on me, until I saw Stan's name alongside his fiancée's on their pre-marital medical report.

That was when it hit me. He was back, and he was about to get married.

*****

It was nine in the morning, and I was slipping on my white coat, getting ready for work.

My intern Angad Spencer, the one I was mentoring, came over with a pout and complained to me.

She said, "Dr. Dotson, there was this couple here for their pre-marital checkup earlier, and the guy was seriously hot.

"Too bad he's already taken. Otherwise, I totally would've made a move."

Seeing Angad totally smitten, I couldn't help but tease her, "How hot could he really be?"

"Wait, wait, that's him," Angad blurted out, quickly pointing at the guy who'd just walked past the exam room door.

But he was moving so fast that by the time I looked up, all I caught was his tall, lean silhouette and the edge of his coat fluttering as he disappeared around the corner.

There was something about him that felt oddly familiar.

I could've sworn I'd seen him somewhere before.

Then it clicked. About six months ago, I'd blown half my paycheck buying Stan the exact same coat.

But he was supposed to be studying in Hillview City. So what was he doing here at the hospital?

I shook my head, chuckling to myself. Maybe I'd been pulling too many late shifts lately, my mind was starting to play tricks on me.

Since it was still a bit before my shift started, I pulled out my phone and opened up our chat thread with Stan.

My last message to him was still sitting there, sent three days ago. [Stan, Valentine's Day is coming up. Will you come back to see me?]

And for three days, he hadn't replied. It had happened more times than I could count.

But honestly, I get it. Stan and I are on opposite sides of the world, and he was always swamped with schoolwork.

After a while, I just got used to it.

Just like always, I sent him another message. [Stan, good morning.]

But after half an hour, there was still no reply.

I didn't dwell on it and just got back to work.

Turned out, the doctor who usually reviews the pre-marital reports was out today, so it landed on my desk.

While we were talking, Angad handed me a report. "Dr. Dotson, this is the pre-marital report for that hot guy and his fiancée. Can you check if everything's okay?"

The report was just a few pages long.

But as soon as I picked it up and glanced at the name section, my heart started pounding wildly.

Because there, in bold letters, was his name: Stan Fisher.

My palms started sweating. But I thought maybe the nurse messed up the name, or it's just a coincidence.

Then I didn't pay much attention.

Lost in thought, I was startled by a knock at the door.

"Doctor, is there anything wrong with our report?" a man's voice asked.

I looked up, and my mind went blank.

There he was, the guy I'd been thinking about for seven years, standing right in front of me.

But right next to him was this cute, petite girl.

Stan looked stunned when he saw me. Like he'd just been busted, he hurriedly dropped her hand.

The girl didn't notice anything strange.

Instead, after being pushed away, she clung to him even tighter, practically draping herself all over him.

She said sweetly, "Relax, babe. We're about to get married. It's just a routine checkup.

"And anyway, no matter what happens, I won't ever leave you."

My throat clenched up. I never thought the next time I'd see Stan would be like this.

Stan kept staring at me in silence, and the girl finally noticed something was off.

"What's wrong, Stan? Do you know this doctor?" she asked.

After a moment of awkward silence, Stan rubbed his nose, his voice just a little shaky. "No, I don't know her."