(Kieran)
I sat in my office staring at the email from Sloane.
*Kieran, I need space. Please respect that and give me time to think. I'll reach out when I'm ready to talk.*
Space. She wanted space.
I read it again. And again.
This wasn't what I'd planned. I'd been so careful. So patient. I'd positioned myself perfectly as her protector, her support, the man she could rely on when everything fell apart.
And now she was pulling away.
Because of what happened at Johns Hopkins. Because I'd admitted the truth and now she couldn't look at me the same way.
I picked up my phone and called her. No answer.
I called again. Nothing.
Frustration built in my chest. I needed to talk to her. I needed to explain. I needed to make her understand that what happened five years ago didn't define who I
