Excerpt

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Chapter 1

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Sabrina—Chicago, December 2019

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“Show me your bling, Brenda,” Megan, one of the younger nurses, gushed.

 

Since Megan wasn’t talking to her, Sabrina hurried past the nurses’ station and sat down behind the worn but functional desk in her tiny office, relishing the last pale rays of daylight coming through the narrow window. It wasn’t the nicest of views—one high-rise next to another—but at least she didn’t have to work in a windowless broom closet of a room, and the now-bare trees in the streets below— only the crowns visible to her—were pretty during all four seasons.

 

She pulled a scrunchie off her wrist and wound it around her long hair as she glanced at the clock on her laptop. Plenty of time to write the report about her meeting 2 Time Will Tell with the Garland family before she left for an extended weekend. It should only take thirty minutes from Lurie Children’s Hospital to Chicago’s O’Hare airport, but rush hour traffic was always iffy. She set the alarm on her watch to make sure she was on her way no later than five for her seven o’clock flight.

 

After checking her notes, she began typing the recommendations she’d given the parents of a five-year-old who was recently diagnosed with a curable brain tumor, when another nurse’s voice filtered through the open door.

 

“Ooh, very nice! When did you get it?”

 

Years of working as a medical social worker had trained Sabrina to tune out conversations outside her office. Her door usually stood open, and the nurses’ voices were more white noise than a disturbance.

 

“Last weekend,” Brenda replied.

 

“Who’s the lucky guy?” Megan asked.

 

Sabrina got up to close the door. Knowing the nurses’ penchant for chit-chat, this could go on awhile. Any other day, she’d stick her head out, dutifully admire the coveted piece of jewelry, and offer her congrats, then go back to her work. But today she wanted to get out of here. And Brenda’s fiancé was of no importance to Sabrina. She hadn’t even known Brenda had a steady boyfriend.

 

“Kyle.”

 

Sabrina froze in the middle of her office, her feet glued to the carpet.

 

“Kyle who?” Megan asked.

 

“Kyle Peterson,” Brenda said barely loud enough for Sabrina to hear over an intercom announcement.

 

A chill ran down Sabrina’s spine. Please, please, please, let it be Kai Petersen in Human Resources.

 

“You aren’t talking about Dr. P, are you?” Megan asked.

 

“Yes, I am. We’ve been seeing each other for a few months now,” Brenda’s voice got even quieter, and Sabrina had to strain to hear what she said next. “He asked me to marry him after I found out I’m pregnant, but we’re keeping it hush-hush. You know, because of…” Brenda didn’t finish the sentence, and Sabrina felt sure she was pointing toward her office.

 

The ground beneath Sabrina’s feet threatened to crack open and suck her in. She and Kyle had ended their rocky on-and-off relationship last August, and, as usual, the bastard didn’t wait long before finding a new toy. At least in the past he’d strayed to the other departments for his latest squeeze. But wait… Brenda just transferred over from endocrinology last month.

 

Sabrina did a mental eye-roll. What a coincidence…

 

She tiptoed back to her desk and put her phone headset on. After pretending to greet someone, she called, “Megan, do you have a minute?”

 

Almost instantly, Megan poked her head into the door, appropriately flustered face and all, and Sabrina said sweetly, “Sorry to interrupt you, Megan. I have Mrs. Rogers on the phone and her daughter’s file isn’t on my desk. Could you check to see if you still have it?”

 

“Sure, gimme a sec,” Megan chirped. Sabrina took a deep breath while she heard Megan whisper to Brenda, “She couldn’t have heard anything, she’s on the phone with Mrs. Rogers.”

 

“Oh, phew, good,” Brenda said. “I don’t want her to find out like this.”

 

Too late, you little… Sabrina plastered a smile on her face. She eyed the clock again and canceled the alarm she’d set earlier. Time to pack up. She could work on the Garland report at the airport.

 

When Meagan came back with the file, Sabrina thanked her and finished her pretend phone call.

 

Sliding her cell phone into the inside pocket of her purse, she grabbed her weekender bag, whisked her winter jacket off the hook behind the door, then strode past the nurses’ station with a casual glance at Brenda’s hand.

 

The diamond didn’t quite light up the room the way Megan made it sound, and it definitely didn’t match the size of Kyle’s overinflated ego. All Sabrina could think was, Good luck, Brenda—you’ll need it.

 

“Bye, everyone, I’ll be back in the new year,” she called over her shoulder before fleeing the hospital.

 

Jumping into the first taxi in line, she tossed her bag on the seat next to her and asked the driver to take her to the American Airlines domestic flights terminal at O’Hare.

 

Sitting on the sticky seat in the overheated car surrounded by the nauseating stink of a pine-scented air freshener that dangled from the rearview mirror, Sabrina popped a mint in her mouth to get rid of the bitter taste in her mouth.

 

Eight years of empty promises and broken dreams.

 

Why Sabrina had ever believed Kyle’s lies was something that routinely kept her awake at night and for which she had no answer. She was thirty-two and had a master’s 5 Annette G. Anders degree in psychology, which had helped her zero when it came to Dr. Kyle “Liar, Cheater, and Moron” Peterson.

 

Sabrina dug through her vast arsenal of self-help tips, sat up straight, rolled her shoulders, and focused on something positive. Like spending the final days of the year with her brother and sister-in-law in Baltimore.

 

And no more looking back. Kyle was in the past. She was so done with him.