Page 21 of Blazing Hearts

Mallory swallowed hard, pushing her emotions down. “I don’t know if I can do this,” she said, barely above a whisper.

Ember studied her for a long moment, and then, with a sigh, she placed a hand on Mallory’s shoulder. “You don’t have to do it alone. But you have to decide if you’re going to keep living in the past. You deserve love, Mallory. Don’t let fear stop you from getting it.”

“You’re married,” Mallory said, her voice taut, the subject one she had avoided for so long. “You have a family now. Why do you care about my life?”

Ember’s expression softened just enough for Mallory to notice. “I care because I know you, Mallory. I know you’re scared of letting someone in. You’re scared of what might happen if you let yourself love again. And I’m not here to make you feel bad about it. I’m here to tell you that running isn’t going to protect you forever.”

Mallory bit her lip, trying to keep the surge of emotions in check. The old wounds—hurts that had never fully healed—suddenly came rushing back. She had been left alone by Ember once, betrayed in ways she couldn’t even begin to unpack. And now here Ember was, telling her what to do with her heart.

“You don’t get it,” Mallory replied, the frustration in her voice rising. “You can’t just walk back into my life after everything that happened between us and tell me what to do.”

Ember’s face softened even further, but there was no judgment, no malice in her expression—just concern. “I get it, Mallory. I really do. But that’s not what this is about. I’ve got a daughter now. A wife. Things are different for me. I’m not the same person I was when I walked out on you. And I sure as hell don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did.”

Mallory’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, mistakes?”

Ember’s voice dropped an octave, the intensity returning. “I let fear dictate my choices. I ran away from love because I was too damn scared of losing it. And now I’ve got everything I’ve ever wanted. But it doesn’t mean it wasn’t a fight. It doesn’t mean that I didn’t have to face my own demons to get here.”

Mallory was silent for a moment, digesting her words. She hadn’t expected this side of Ember—the vulnerable side, the one that wasn’t just an untamed force of nature. Ember had always been the one to push back, to act before thinking, and yet here she was, speaking with a kind of wisdom Mallory hadn’t anticipated.

“And Josephine?” Mallory asked, her voice quieter now.

Ember’s gaze softened at the mention of her wife. “She’s my rock,” Ember said, her smile gentle, but fierce with love. “We’ve got a daughter, Natalie. She’s six now—hard to believe sometimes.” Ember’s eyes lit up at the mention of her daughter, and Mallory could see the love and pride there, a sharp contrast to the person she had once known.

Mallory felt a pang of envy—envy for the love and life Ember had built with Dr. Josephine Mars, a woman who had everything Mallory had always wanted for herself. Josephine was everything Ember wasn’t—petite, graceful, the epitome of femininity. The two women, so different, yet perfectly complementary. Mallory knew their bond ran deep, and the connection between them was palpable.

Ember stepped closer, her gaze never leaving Mallory’s. “Josephine and I, we’ve built something real. And it’s because we stopped running from our fears. We didn’t let them control us. We chose love. You can’t keep hiding, Mallory. Not from Kara. Not from yourself. You deserve this. You deserve to have it all.”

Mallory’s chest tightened. “And what if I’m not ready for that?”

Ember took a breath, her expression steady but full of understanding. “Then take the time you need. But don’t wait too long. Because life doesn’t wait for anyone. And neither does love.”

Mallory stood there, silent, as Ember’s words sank in. She wanted to dismiss them, to push them away. But they stayed with her, echoing in the back of her mind as Ember turned to walk away.

Ember paused for a moment, looking back at Mallory. “You’ve got another chance. Don’t blow it.”

With that, Ember was gone, disappearing down the hall, leaving Mallory standing alone, her mind racing. For the first time in months, Mallory felt a crack in the walls she had so carefully built around herself.

* * *

Mallory returned to the busy corridors of Phoenix Ridge Hospital; the weight of Ember’s words still heavy on her mind. Her footsteps echoed against the cold tiles as she walked briskly down the hall, her head buzzing with conflicting thoughts. She had barely made it two steps before she found herself replaying the conversation with Ember over and over. The sharpness of Ember’s warning, the quiet but insistent way she’d pushed Mallory to face her fears—it was all too much to ignore. And yet, Mallory tried to push it away, bury it beneath the responsibilities of the day. She couldn’t let herself get distracted. Not here.

She had a patient waiting for her, a surgery to oversee. But as she walked, her mind wandered back to Kara.

Kara. That name was like a ghost, haunting every corner of Mallory’s thoughts. The way she’d looked at Mallory with big golden brown eyes and a messy ponytail, the way her presence had made Mallory’s heart beat faster, and the way, no matter how much Mallory tried to fight it, she couldn’t seem to forget about her.

Mallory had been so sure, so resolute in her decision to keep things professional, to not let herself get swept up in something that could only end in pain. She had promised herself that she wouldn’t repeat the mistakes of her past, that she wouldn’t let herself get lost in someone who couldn’t stay. And yet, Ember’s words echoed in her head:You’re scared, Mallory. You’re terrified of getting hurt again, and that fear is holding you back.

The thought made Mallory’s chest tighten. Was that true? Had she really been running from Kara out of fear? She had spent so much time convincing herself that walking away was the right thing to do, that it was easier this way. But now, with Ember’s voice still fresh in her mind, Mallory couldn’t help but question herself.

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She had always been cautious, always hesitant to let herself get too close to anyone. Her heart had been shattered once, and she didn’t know if it could withstand that kind of pain again. But was it really fear that was keeping her from Kara? Or was it something else? Something deeper, something rooted in the trauma of her past that she hadn’t fully healed from?

Mallory shook her head, trying to focus. She couldn’t afford to get lost in these thoughts. She had a job to do. The patient she was supposed to meet was waiting. But every step she took felt heavier than the last, the pull of her conflicting emotions making her feel more and more out of control.

She turned a corner and passed a nurse on the way to the surgical suite, nodding absentmindedly as she went. Her hands tightened around the medical chart she was carrying, but her mind was elsewhere—on Kara, on Ember’s words, on the quiet ache that seemed to grow the longer Mallory kept her feelings locked away.

By the time Mallory reached the surgical suite, the doors were open, and she was greeted by the familiar hum of activity. Nurses and surgical assistants moved in and out of the room, prepping for the procedure. But Mallory’s thoughts were still far away. She gave quick instructions to the team, running through the steps she’d already planned, but her mind was fixed on one question: What if Ember was right?

What if she had been sabotaging herself this whole time?

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