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As Humbert shifted his weight, his foot landed on a plush pink rabbit toy–a chubby, pastel- colored thing with absurdly long ears and tiny bee wings stitched to its back.
He remembered how Claire had adored that ridiculous stuffed animal. He used to tease her about it, calling it a “mutant bunny“—too weird to be cute with those random wings.
Claire would immediately fall silent and glare at him whenever he said that.
The truth was, he only made fun of it because he knew how much she cherished it–teasing her was his way of getting a reaction.
He’d won it from a movie theater claw machine–some cheap stuffed animal Claire desperately wanted. She’d tugged at his sleeve, begging with those pleading eyes. The thought that she actually returned this took his breath away.
That night, Humbert called her in anger, only to hear the automated message informing him the number had been disconnected.
She had ended things cleanly, taking nothing and leaving no trace behind. For seven years, Humbert heard nothing about her. The only thing he eventually learned was that she had suddenly dropped out of school and disappeared.
When his older brother took over the family business, Humbert voluntarily withdrew from the inheritance dispute to preserve their brotherly bond. And with how demanding his medical studies were, he had no intention of returning home anytime soon.
Claire had become like a splinter lodged deep in Humbert’s heart, and he couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it had gotten there. While he resented the persistent ache, he had somehow grown accustomed to living with it.
Most days, he could almost forget it was there. But when the pain hit, it came out of nowhere -that suffocating feeling like getting caught in a downpour, when the air turned thick and every breath felt like drowning.
*****
Humbert was driving to his afternoon shift when someone dashed across the road. He jammed on the brakes and was out of the car before it fully stopped.
A girl sat shaking on the pavement, her eyes wide with fear as she clutched a scruffy little dog.
“Are you hurt?” Humbert crouched down, lifting her gently to inspect for injuries. Thankfully, aside from a few scrapes on her palms from breaking her fall, she seemed fine.
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The girl sniffled, her eyes red–rimmed. “I’m okay, sir,” she said softly. “Please check my puppy. Your car almost hit him.”
The plump puppy, maybe two months old, trembled in her arms.
Humbert frowned as he studied the girl–there was something familiar about her pale skin and those bright eyes.
It surprised him that he could remember a patient he’d only seen once before, especially when he saw so many faces every day. Yet there was no doubt–this was Rosalind, the girl who had visited his clinic before.
“Do you realize how dangerous that was? If I hadn’t braked in time, it could’ve been a disaster,” Humbert said with a stern look.
He glanced around and saw only the girl. “Where are your parents?” he asked, clearly upset that she had dashed out so recklessly to save a stray dog.
Rosalind bit her lip. “I…”
“Rose-” a woman’s voice called out urgently.
Footsteps pounded against the sweltering pavement. The air clung thick with heat and the faint scent of flowers as Winifred skidded to a stop, grabbing Rosalind’s shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Mom. The puppy’s okay too,” Rosalind said softly. Her palm stung from a scrape, but she ignored it, throwing her arms around Winifred’s neck. “Really, I’m totally fine.”
Winifred’s chest tightened. They’d come here for lunch, but the second she turned to grab their order, Rosalind was gone.
That horrible screech of brakes had nearly stopped her heart. Now she couldn’t stop checking Rosalind for injuries that thankfully weren’t there.
Winifred looked up at Humbert, nervously biting her lower lip.
He stood just a few feet away–a tall, imposing figure in a light gray tracksuit with one hand casually tucked in his pocket. His sharp features held a distant, unreadable expression.
When their eyes met, Winifred immediately rose to her feet and positioned herself protectively in front of Rosalind, her heart hammering in her chest.
She opened her mouth to speak, but the words caught in her throat. “Um… you…” she finally managed to say.
Without her usual mask, Winifred’s delicate features were fully visible in the bright sunlight.
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The warm summer breeze played with the hem of her light blue dress as she stood under the scorching sun.
Though he stood mere steps away, Winifred’s vision began to blur as a wave of dizziness overtook her, accompanied by a faint ringing in her cars.
“Get in the car,” he said, watching her protective stance in front of the girl. “I’ll take your daughter to the hospital for a check–up.”
“No, that’s not necessary,” Winifred said. “We’ll be fine on our own.”
She exhaled quietly as she thought, ‘If he was saying this, he clearly didn’t recognize me.’
Humbert climbed into the car, gave a short honk, and studied Winifred through his window.
“I’m a trauma surgeon. The most dangerous injuries often don’t show on the surface. If there are any problems, I’ll take responsibility.” He almost mentioned that Rosalind had been his patient before.
His gaze lingered on her. The sun had turned her skin a delicate pink, making it almost luminous.
The pale blue dress draped over her slender form like morning mist. Humbert had to shield his eyes–the way the sunlight caught her was almost blinding.
She looked much too young to have a child of six or seven.
There was something familiar about her, but asking would sound like a bad pickup line.
Moreover, Humbert found Winifred’s behavior unusual. Though the child had clearly been unharmed–he’d braked well in time–she was supposed to be frantic. Yet she remained remarkably calm.
Most parents would insist on every possible medical test and compensation, but she simply accepted his assurance that the child was unharmed.
Winifred quietly helped her daughter into the back seat of the car.
At the hospital, when the doctors recommended a CT scan that required parental supervision, Humbert unexpectedly found himself staying with them.
As he carried Rosalind toward the scanning room, a colleague remarked, “I didn’t know you had a daughter, Dr. Pierce. The family resemblance is striking.”
Winifred nervously bit her lip. ‘Is the resemblance really that noticeable? she thought.
She suddenly became aware of several pairs of eyes watching them. Digging her nails into her
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Chapter 6
palm, she kept her head lowered, avoiding any chance of meeting Humbert’s gaze.
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Humbert chuckled at his colleagues‘ teasing before turning to Winifred. “You should wait outside,” he said gently. “There’s radiation in this area.”
As the hospital’s most sought–after doctor, Humbert naturally drew attention wherever he
went.
Winifred kept her eyes downcast as she followed him, but she could still feel the weight of everyone’s curious stares.
As they walked, snippets of conversation reached her ears.
“Who’s that little girl with Dr. Pierce?”
“Is that his girlfriend walking with him?”
“I didn’t know Dr. Pierce went for that type.”
“That can’t be right. When he turned down Susan, he said he preferred tall, curvy ones.”
“Really? He seems so refined, but that’s his type?”
“Men are all the same underneath. Susan only got placed in cardiac surgery through her father’s connections for one reason–to pursue Dr. Pierce. She threw a massive tantrum when he rejected her.”
“Let’s stop all this speculation. That girl is probably just a kid of Dr. Pierce’s relative. She looks about five or six years old, and since he isn’t even thirty yet, there’s no way she could be his daughter.”
“But that woman with him is absolutely beautiful–so graceful and elegant.”
After spending the entire afternoon going through various medical tests, they found only some minor soft tissue injuries on Rosalind’s knee and wrist.
Winifred finally let out a sigh of relief and turned to Humbert, saying, “Thank you for all your help?
“Here’s my contact information. Please don’t hesitate to call me if your daughter needs. anything. Humbert said, holding it out.
Winifred looked down at the business card, her gaze briefly lingering on his long, well- manicured fingers before accepting it. After expressing her thanks, she took Rosalind’s hand and walked away.
She had only taken a few steps when his voice, low and slightly hoarse, called out from behind
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Chapter 6
her, “I think we’ve met before.”
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Winifred paused mid–step before responding, “You must see so many patients, Dr. Pierce. It’s understandable you wouldn’t remember. My daughter has a heart condition, and we came to see you not long ago.”
Humbert’s lips curved in a faint smile as his eyes narrowed slightly. “You misunderstand me. Do you really think I’d forget you, Rosalind’s mother?”
Winifred’s head jerked up at the way he’d called her.
The intensity in his eyes made her breath catch unexpectedly.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
