Early the following morning, Sienna sent Isaac a message.
"Prepare for the first session of the second stage of your treatment in one week."
The reply came almost immediately, as though he had been waiting with the phone in his hand.
"Okay."
Sienna stared at the message for a second longer than necessary before shoving the phone into her bag. Then she forced herself to focus on getting ready for work.
Thirty minutes later, she stepped out of her room looking perfectly put together, dressed in a fitted cream blouse and dark skirt, her hair neatly tied back. She looked so refreshed and ready for the day.
"Good morning, Doctor," Ava greeted from beside the front door.
"Good morning, Ava."
Sienna walked past her, then suddenly stopped halfway. Her expression shifted with realization before she awkwardly doubled back toward the refrigerator.
She grabbed an apple and turned to leave again.
"I packed your lunch already, Doctor," Ava said flatly.
Sienna beamed immediately. "What a big heart you have, Ava. Thank you."
Ava rolled her eyes, even with th disaster Sienna caused that wouldn't stop her from feeding her.
The two women left the apartment together, Ava locking the door behind them before following Sienna toward the car.
They were almost at the vehicle when Ava spoke casually.
"Subrind released a statement this morning."
Sienna barely paid attention at first. "Hm?"
"Their hidden crown prince is getting married." Ava opened the driver's door. "Honestly, I admire their courage. The country is in the middle of a war and they're announcing a royal marriage."
Sienna stopped walking completely.
One foot remained suspended above the pavement as if her body had forgotten how movement worked.
Ava frowned and turned toward her.
"Doctor?"
"Subrind's crown prince... is getting married?"
Something about the way she said it made Ava blink. Her voice sounded strange.
"Yes," Ava replied. "Apparently to his longtime fiancée."
Longtime fiancée.
The words hit Sienna with shocking force.
Her chest tightened painfully, like invisible fingers had wrapped around her heart and squeezed. For one disorienting second, she couldn't breathe properly.
She wasn't supposed to care.
Isaac was her patient, nothing more. A dangerous, infuriating man who blackmailed her into treating him.
That was all.
So why did the thought of him belonging to someone else make her feel sick?
Had he already been engaged that night at the hotel?
Had he been engaged when he kissed her in her office like she was something precious and devourable all at once?
Had he been laughing at her internally this entire time?
"Doctor?" Ava's worried voice broke through her spiraling thoughts. "Are you alright?"
Sienna blinked hard and forced her expression back under control.
"I'm fine."
The lie came too quickly.
Then anger suddenly rose within her, hot and irrational, giving her something easier to cling to than whatever this strange ache was.
"I'm just annoyed." She climbed into the car sharply. "Their country caused this much destruction and their prince is busy getting married?"
Ava's brow furrowed as she studied her reflection through the rearview mirror.
Something was definitely off, but she couldn't tell what.
The drive to the hospital passed in silence.
---
Sienna failed spectacularly at pretending nothing was wrong.
Throughout the day, her concentration drifted constantly. She forgot simple details during consultations. Read the same sentence in patient reports four times without understanding it. During surgery prep, one of the nurses had to repeat herself twice before Sienna realized she was being spoken to.
The entire hospital noticed.
Dr. Rivers was never distracted.
But today, she looked like someone walking around in another world.
Even her smiles felt fake.
Ava watched everything from afar with growing concern.
---
Elsewhere in the hospital, Rowan sat alone in his office replaying Ava's audio recording for the tenth time.
Each replay felt like a knife twisting deeper into his chest.
Still, Rowan refused to give up.
Sienna had never been good with emotions; that was all. He would simply continue proving himself to her until she eventually understood how deeply he cared.
By lunchtime, he had personally ordered all her favorite dishes from an expensive restaurant downtown.
If she were upset, he would comfort her.
Like always.
He carried the food to her office himself.
When he entered, Sienna was seated behind her desk, staring blankly at an open file. She looked up immediately at the sound of the door opening.
For a split second, Rowan caught something in her expression. Sadness or confusion.
Then it vanished behind a polite smile.
"Good afternoon, Director."
"How are you feeling, Sienna?"
He approached her, placed the bags on her desk, and the rich aroma of food quickly filled the office.
"I heard you've been off all morning," he said gently. "So I brought you your favorites."
"Thank you."
Sienna muttered with a tight smile.
"But you really didn't have to."
He ignored the stiffness in her voice and began clearing the space on her cluttered desk, carefully arranging the containers.
Usually she smiled when he did things like this, usually she looked touched but today she just watched him silently.
And strangely enough... irritation started building inside her.
He was trying too hard.
The realization startled her because Rowan had always behaved this way. Why did it suddenly annoy her now?
"Dig in," Rowan said with a small smile once he finished arranging everything neatly.
Sienna picked up her fork obediently, though she mostly just pushed the food around instead of eating it.
Rowan sat across from her, leaning slightly forward.
"Now," he said softly, "would you like to tell me what's troubling you?"
Her fork stopped moving.
Immediately, annoyance flared again. Stronger this time.
"I'm fine, Director." Her tone suddenly turned cold. "And I would appreciate it if you stopped asking."
Rowan froze.
The rejection landed painfully.
"Oh." He laughed awkwardly, though the sound died almost instantly. "I'm sorry."
Silence stretched heavily between them and finally Rowan stood up.
"I'll leave you to your lunch."
He walked toward the door slowly, hoping she would stop him but she didn't.
The moment he stepped outside, the warmth vanished from his face completely.
His chest hurt.
Sienna had never liked him romantically; he knew that. But she had always tolerated him gently. Today, she could barely hide her irritation at his presence.
Something was wrong.
—-
He found Ava in the cafeteria speaking with one of the nurses.
"Ava."
She looked up immediately. "Director."
"Can I speak with you privately for a moment?"
Without hesitation, Ava excused herself and followed him to a quieter section of the cafeteria.
"You know what's bothering her, don't you?" Rowan asked immediately.
Ava understood he was talking about Sienna and she frowned thoughtfully.
"Honestly? I don't."
She crossed her arms.
"The only thing I can think of is this morning. I mentioned the news about Subrind's hidden prince getting married to his childhood sweetheart. And after that her mood changed instantly." Ava looked confused even now. "She claimed she was upset because Subrind was celebrating marriage after causing so many deaths in Dilrik but that explanation doesn't really sound like Doctor Rivers."
No. It didn't.
Sienna had never cared about political news enough to react emotionally to it.
Rowan's stomach tightened unexpectedly.
"And she doesn't know this prince personally?" he asked carefully.
Ava blinked. "How would she?"
She almost laughed at the absurdity.
"No one even knows what the prince looks like."
Rowan nodded slowly.
Right. Of course.
The thought itself was ridiculous.
Still...
Something about the entire situation continued bothering him deeply.
"Thank you," he said finally before walking away.
Halfway down the corridor, his phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
"If I were you, I would trust my instincts. What guarantee do you have that your love won't choose another man? Hasten things up, Rowan. Sienna won't remain single forever."
Rowan stopped walking.
A chill crept down his spine.
"Who is this?" he typed immediately.
No reply came.
But the message had already done its damage.
Because the stranger was right.
Rowan truly felt like he was running out of time.
Without hesitating further, he called the prime minister.
Whatever his father planned to do regarding Sienna, he needed to move faster.
Rowan never noticed the woman standing partially hidden behind the corridor wall as he spoke to the prime minister.
Hannah.
She had heard everything.
Every single word.
And as Rowan disappeared down the hallway, something dark twisted inside her chest.
Her fingers tightened around her phone.
If ruining Sienna Rivers was what it took to keep Rowan's attention...
Then she would gladly help.