Page 30 of The Surgeon's Secret

When Catherine finally arrived in the empty break room, there was already tension in the air. Lexi could see the uncertainty in her eyes, but she didn’t waste any time.

“I can’t do this anymore, Catherine,” Lexi said, her voice quiet but firm.

Catherine froze, her eyes widening. “What do you mean?”

“You need to make a decision,” Lexi continued, feeling her heart twist. “I can’t keep living this way. Either you leave him, or this…us…ends. I can’t keep being the other woman.”

Catherine looked shocked, her eyes darting around as if searching for the right words. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out at first. Lexi knew this was the moment—this was where everything would either change for the better or fall apart.

“Lexi…I?—”

“No,” Lexi interrupted, shaking her head. “I’m not waiting anymore, Catherine. I can’t.”

The silence that followed was unbearable. Lexi’s heart beat painfully in her chest, every second dragging on, bringing her closer to the possibility of everything falling apart. She loved Catherine, but she couldn’t keep giving herself to someone who wouldn’t choose her.

“I can’t be your secret anymore,” Lexi whispered, her voice breaking. “I need you to choose me, or I need you to let me go.”

Catherine’s eyes softened, but the sadness in them only made Lexi feel more alone.

“I love you, but I just… I just don’t know if I can do it,” Catherine whispered, her voice thick with guilt.

And that was it. Lexi knew, in that moment, that everything she’d feared was true. Catherine would never leave her husband. And as much as it hurt, Lexi realized that she’d already started pulling away.

With a deep breath, she turned away, leaving Catherine standing in the silence, with nothing but the weight of the ultimatum hanging in the air.

Lexi stumbled into her apartment, the door creaking shut behind her with a chilling finality. The dim light in the kitchen seemed to mock her with its coldness, and she didn’t bother turning on the overhead lights. She needed the darkness, the quiet. She kicked off her shoes and slumped down on the couch hugging a pillow to her chest.

Catherine was gone. That chapter of her life was over, and all Lexi had to show for it was the bitter taste of regret.

She felt the tears coming and once they started, they just wouldn’t stop.

She’d thought Phoenix Ridge would be the fresh start she needed. It had been a chance to leave everything behind, build something new, and finally meet her half-sister. But instead she was alone, with nothing to show for it but broken dreams and broken promises.

Her sister still didn’t want her, and no matter how hard Lexi tried to reach out, it felt like they’d never really get to know each other. It stung more than she cared to admit. Was she that unworthy of love? Was it her fault she couldn’t fit into this small town where people seemed to have their lives so perfectly together?

And then there was Catherine—a woman who’d promised her a future, but when it came down to it, couldn’t even make the choice to leave her miserable marriage. The woman who’d kissed her like she meant it, only to turn away and leave Lexi standing in the dark. She wasn’t enough. She’dneverbe enough.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She was supposed to have it all—love, belonging, happiness—but all she had was loneliness, rejection, and a mountain of unresolved feelings.

She wiped her eyes, but the tears kept coming anyway, spilling down her cheeks as the room blurred around her. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. The darkness felt like a weight pressing down on her chest, suffocating her with the realization that she was completely and utterly alone. She could call her mom, but she hadn’t told her about Catherine- she didn’t want to worry her.

She’d moved here for a new beginning, but all she’d found was more of the same: broken promises, unrequited love, and endless regret. The city, the people, even the apartment—it all felt foreign and wrong. Phoenix Ridge hadn’t given her anything except the aching reminder of everything she couldn’t have.

Lexi leaned her head back against the couch, her eyes closed and her breath shaky. She felt like a stranger in her own life, andevery choice she’d made since stepping foot in this town felt like a mistake. All she wanted was someone to tell her she wasn’t a failure, that this was just one bad chapter, not the whole book.

But there was no one.

16

CATHERINE

Catherine sat at the kitchen table, staring at the half-empty mug in front of her as her fingers traced the rim absently. The coffee was cold, but she didn’t mind. It had been one of those mornings—the kind where nothing seemed to matter, where the weight of everything pressed down on her chest, and even the simple act of drinking a cup of coffee felt like an insurmountable task.

She hadn’t slept well the night before. The house had been too quiet without James’s presence, and yet when he was home, the silence was even more suffocating. Her mind kept drifting back to Lexi, to the guilt that gnawed at her every time she thought about telling her she couldn’t leave James.

Leaving him had felt impossible for so long, but remembering the hurt in Lexi’s eyes made her chest ache. Was she really willing to give up the woman who’d made her feel for the first time in years? The idea of staying with James for the rest of her life made Catherine feel physically ill. Confronting him would be horrible, but she had to do it. For herself…and for Lexi. She wasn’t sure what she would say, or even if she’d be able to say anything at all, but she knew she had to try.

She grabbed her phone from the counter and dialed James’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. She left a message, her voice sounding far steadier than she felt. “James, we need to talk. I don’t know when you’ll be home, but I’ll be here waiting for you.” Her words felt hollow as soon as she said them, but there was nothing else to say.

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