Page 23 of The Surgeon's Secret

“I never wanted to be like him,” Lexi whispered shakily. The guilt was suffocating, but the need to explain herself was stronger than ever. “But I don’t know what you want me to say, Josephine. I never expected any of this.”

Josephine’s eyes were hard now, her face tight with anger. “What do you wantmeto say, Lexi?” she shot back. “You think I don’t know how hard life is? I’ve been running Phoenix Ridge Hospital for years. I’ve been carrying the weight of keeping everything together on my shoulders. I don’t need you making it worse.” Her eyes flicked to Catherine again, the judgment in them sharp. “I certainly don’t need you sleeping with a colleague, let alone one who’smarried.”

“I never meant to hurt you,” Lexi said, her voice breaking. “I just wanted to get to know you. I never wanted to cause you any more pain.”

Josephine’s expression softened for a moment, but it was fleeting. She exhaled sharply, her shoulders sagging as if this was too much to carry. “Well, you’ve done a hell of a job so far, haven’t you?”

With one last piercing look, Josephine turned and walked away, her footsteps fading into the distance. Lexi stood frozen, the door still open, the silence between her and Catherine suffocating.

Josephine was gone. Now she believed she was Lexi’s sister, but the damage had been done.

And Lexi didn’t know how to fix it.

12

CATHERINE

On Friday, Catherine spent the rest of her workday in a state of arousal, her mind replaying the encounter with Lexi at her apartment. She was supposed to be going to a dinner party with James that evening, but as she stirred her hot chocolate in the beautiful, spacious kitchen and waited for her husband to return from his meeting, she confirmed the decision she’d made hours ago: she wasn’t going.

Her marriage was over, even if James refused to accept it. She was determined to stand her ground and refuse to go with him. Still, anxiety rose in her chest as she heard James’s car pull up outside.

James stormed through the door, clearly in a foul mood. He took one look at Catherine and scowled.

“What the hell are you doing, Catherine? What are you wearing? You need to get dressed—we’re going to be late,” he said, his voice dripping with anger.

“I’m not going,” Catherine replied, her voice shaking slightly. She feared his reaction; she’d never defied him like this before, but she knew she had to now.

“Yes, you are,” James snapped, his eyes hard and his voice laced with a barely concealed threat, daring her to challenge him again. “Get upstairs and put on a damn fancy dress right now.”

Catherine gripped her spoon tighter and took a deep breath.

“I’m not going,” she repeated, her voice stronger this time, bolstered by the thought of Lexi and the future they might have together. She just had to end her marriage.

James stormed farther into the kitchen, grabbed her mug of hot chocolate, and hurled it against the wall. It shattered and the hot liquid streamed down the cabinets, staining them. Catherine jumped at the crash, her heart racing. She wondered if this was it—if he would actually hurt her. He never had before, but then, she’d never given him a reason to.

She was afraid of James, she realized. She always had been. He was powerful, and with power came entitlement. He was a man used to getting exactly what he wanted.

His voice lowered, dripping with menace as he leaned close to her face, his words cutting.

“You are going,” he growled.

Catherine’s heart pounded faster and faster. She hadn’t planned for this confrontation. It was one thing to decide she didn’t want to continue the marriage, but she hadn’t thought about how to handle his outright refusal to accept it. She turned and rushed upstairs, grateful for a moment away from him to gather her thoughts. She sat on the luxurious bed, still trembling.

What can I do? How am I going to get out of this?

She reached into the pocket of her silk pajamas and sighed in relief when she found her phone there. It was a long shot, but she couldn’t give in to James now. She pulled up Lexi’s number in her contacts and pressed “Call.”

Please pick up. Please pick up. Please pick up.

“Catherine?” Lexi sounded surprised.

“I’m so sorry for calling. I…I don’t really know what to say, but I need help,” Catherine whispered, keeping her voice low so that James wouldn’t hear her.

“Catherine, are you okay? You sound scared,” Lexi said, the concern clear in her tone.

“Not really. Can you…can you come get me? Now? I’ll text you my address.”

“Of course. I’ll be there in five minutes. Sit tight. I’m on my way.” Lexi’s response was instant, and Catherine felt a wave of relief wash over her.

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