Mia's POV
I was halfway through sorting prescriptions at the pediatric wing of Saint Haven Medical Center when the hallway went suddenly quiet.
Too quiet.
I glanced up and saw heads turning—nurses whispering, a few staff members frozen in place like someone famous had just walked in. Then I saw him.
Ryan Saint.
And he wasn't alone.
A woman walked beside him—elegant, radiant, dressed like she walked off the cover of a luxury fashion magazine. Her red lips curled into a knowing smile as her hand rested delicately on Ryan's arm. Possessive. Familiar.
My stomach sank before my mind caught up.
Dianna.
Not just anyone.
His fiancée.
I had seen her once before. That night. The penthouse. The kiss. The soundproof lie. I had tried to forget her name—but she hadn't forgotten mine.
As they passed by the reception, our eyes met. Dianna's lips stretched into a slow smile, like she already knew I'd be there.
"Oh… Mia," she purred softly, as if we were old friends reunited. "It's been a while."
I blinked. "Yes. It has."
Her gaze swept over my scrubs like she was assessing a thrift store item. "Still working here? How sweet."
I ignored the jab.
But what I couldn't ignore was Ryan's silence.
He didn't speak. Not a greeting, not a glance. He didn't have to. His arm around hers said everything.
I inhaled through my nose and nodded, stepping back. "I have rounds."
Before I could turn, Dianna added with a mock-innocent lilt, "We just got back from a beautiful trip. And now with the engagement formally announced, there's so much to plan…"
Engagement.
Formally. Announced.
Each word hit like a slap.
I left without a word, my fingers curling into the prescription pad still in my hand. My pulse roared in my ears as I ducked into the staff lounge.
Of course. Of course he had a fiancée.
Of course she was perfect.
And I—I was just the placeholder. The woman he married in secret for whatever deal he struck in the shadows. A lie wrapped in silk and silence.
I should've known better.
But somehow, it still hurt.