When I came back home, the mansion was quiet—too quiet. The lights were off, and the usual warmth was gone, replaced by something colder, emptier. Harley was nowhere to be seen. In fact, I hadn't heard from him all day.
A small crease formed between my brows as I pulled out my phone and sent him a quick text.
Are you home?
I stared at the screen for a moment, waiting, but no reply came. Letting out a quiet breath, I set my phone on the nightstand and climbed into bed, pulling the covers over me. The warmth wrapped around me almost instantly, but it didn't quite settle the restlessness sitting in my chest.
As I closed my eyes, my thoughts drifted back to dinner from a couple of hours ago—back to Samuel, and how easy everything had felt. There had been no tension, no second-guessing, no weight behind every word. Conversation had come naturally, like it always had, and for a while, I hadn't felt the need to overthink anything.
I shifted slightly against the pillow, exhaling softly as that feeling resurfaced. It was light, effortless… unfamiliar in a way that made me pause.
Because it shouldn't have felt that easy.
And somehow, that unsettled me more than everything else.
The weekend had passed quietly.
By the time Monday morning came, nothing had really changed—except the feeling in my chest had settled into something I couldn't quite ignore anymore.
After changing into a pair of scrubs, I exit my room and made my way toward the kitchen. Along the way, I smelled something emanating from the kitchen that made me stomach grumbled out loud.
"Harley?" I said as I walked into the kitchen.
He was sitting at the dining room table with a cup of coffee in his hand, sipping it slowly. On the opposite side of the table was a plate of untouched American breakfast.
My face lit up. "You made me breakfast?" I asked, excitement evident in my voice.
Harley didn't look at me right away. Weird, right? He took another slow sip of his coffee before setting the cup down on the table. "It was already made."
The small flicker of warmth I had felt dimmed almost instantly. Just like that, he managed to kill the moment.
"Oh," I said, my voice softer than I intended.
I walked over anyway, pulling out the chair across from him and sitting down. The plate was still warm—eggs, toast, and bacon arranged neatly like it had just been prepared.
"You didn't eat?" I asked, glancing up at him.
"I already did."
Of course he did.
I nodded slowly and picked up my fork, taking a small bite. The silence stretched between us, heavier than it should have been for something so simple.
"Did you get my text?" I asked after a moment.
"I saw it."
That was it.
No explanation. No follow-up.
I swallowed, setting my fork down for a second as I studied him. His expression was calm, unreadable—like nothing had changed.
But everything had.
"I was just checking," I said quietly.
He gave a small nod, his gaze drifting back to his coffee as if the conversation had already ended.
And just like that, it did.
I didn't try to push it further.
Finishing what I could of the breakfast, I stood up and grabbed my bag from the counter. "I'm heading to the hospital."
"Drive safe," he said.
The words sounded automatic.
Familiar.
But empty.
I paused for half a second, waiting—though I wasn't sure for what.
When nothing came, I turned and walked out with a crestfallen expression etched on my face.
The hospital felt the same as always—bright, busy, and steady in a way that left no room for overthinking.
Which was exactly what I needed.
"Dr. Huo."
I looked up as one of the nurses passed by, offering a quick smile before disappearing down the hallway.
I returned it absentmindedly, adjusting the files in my hands as I made my way toward the nurses' station. The rhythm of the hospital pulled me in quickly—footsteps, voices, the quiet urgency that came with every shift.
Normal.
Predictable.
Safe.
"Morning."
I froze for a split second before turning toward the voice. A voice I haven't heard in a long time but recognize instantaneously.
Samuel.
He stood a few steps away, already dressed in his white coat, his expression relaxed—like seeing me here wasn't unexpected at all.
Like it was natural.
"Morning," I replied, a small smile forming before I could stop it.
"How was your weekend?" he asked, falling into step beside me as we started walking down the corridor.
"Quiet," I said. "Yours?"
"Eventful," he replied lightly. "Ran into someone at dinner."
I let out a small laugh. "Yeah… that was unexpected."
"But not unwelcome," he added.
I glanced at him briefly.
There it was again.
That ease.
I didn't have to think about what to say next. The conversation just… continued.
"I didn't think you'd end up working here," I said.
"Neither did I," he admitted. "But it worked out."
"How so?"
He glanced at me, a faint smile on his lips. "Good company."
I shook my head slightly, looking away as a quiet laugh escaped me. "You haven't even been here a week."
"Doesn't take that long," he said.
And for some reason—
I didn't argue.
We reached the nurses' station, but neither of us stopped immediately. The moment stretched just slightly longer than necessary, like neither of us felt the need to rush away.
"I'll see you around?" he asked.
I nodded. "Yeah. You will."
He gave a small nod before stepping away, heading in the opposite direction.
"Someone caught your eye."
I looked in the direction the voice came from and saw nurse Beatrice, grinning at me. "Hello Beatrice."
"So," she said, standing beside me, looking at Samuel retreating figure. "How do you know Dr. Samuel?"
"We were classmates in England."
Beatrice chuckled softly. "CEO Huang have competition. Of course I will be cheering for him."
"Samuel and I are just friends," I said, walking in the direction of my patient.