Esther had just walked Dija to her car. As the engine purred to life and disappeared around the curve, she lingered by the hospital entrance.
She exhaled. Then inhaled, deeply.
Did that really just happen?
Of all the hospitals, all the departments… Steven had to walk into this one? Into her life again? As her boss?
Fate had a sharp sense of humor.
"I see Dija's gone."
His voice. Smooth, familiar.
Esther turned. Steven stood a few steps behind her, hands tucked casually into his pockets, like time hadn't shifted anything between them.
She slid her own hands into the deep folds of her white coat. A small, instinctive shield.
"Yeah," she said quietly, already taking a step toward the doors.
"I'm glad we're colleagues," he said, matching her pace.
She didn't reply right away. There was a small shuffle in her stride, the tiniest shift away from him. Barely noticeable. But deliberate.
"You really kept your word," Steven added after a beat.
Esther's steps slowed.
"What word?" she asked, though something in her already knew.
Steven smiled softly. "I wasn't sure you'll actually go for it. Back in school… when you said you would become a psychologist, I really thought you were joking. But seeing you now, I shouldn't have doubted your will"
Esther gave a small, unreadable laugh.
"Steven, we were kids back then and believe me it all in the past." She quickly said, trying to erase the fact that she had openly confessed to him and he had laid a condition which she stupidly accepted.
"But.."
"But, we're grown now right?" She cut in, with a flat smile.
He chuckled. "Right. I thought I was being clever."
"No," she said. "You were being honest."
There was a long silence between them. One filled with words neither dared say aloud.
"Well," she added, brushing a hand across her coat. "I guess life has a way of circling back."
Steven studied her, but said nothing more.
Esther turned toward the building. "I have work to get back to."
And just like that, she was gone, back inside, leaving Steven standing by the hospital entrance, staring at the door she'd walked through.
Steven caught up with her later that afternoon, just outside the pediatric ward. She had a clipboard in hand and her face was composed, professional, but he could see the shadow of their earlier conversation still lingering in her eyes.
"Esther," he said, falling into step beside her.
She didn't stop walking. "Steven."
"I wasn't trying to make things awkward earlier," he said gently. "It's just… seeing you again brought back things I didn't expect."
She gave a noncommittal hum, flipping through a patient's notes.
"You've changed," he went on, his voice lower now. "But not too much. You're still sharp. Still composed. Still…" he paused, as if choosing the right word, "fierce, in that quiet way."
Esther stopped walking. Slowly, she turned to face him.
"Steven," she said, voice calm but clear, "whatever you're trying to say, don't."
"I'm not trying to stir anything," he replied, hands lifted in a quiet gesture. "I just thought… maybe we could talk. Catch up. Revisit a few things. We left a lot unsaid back then."
"There's a reason some things are left that way," Esther said softly.
He studied her face, then smiled, a little sad, a little hopeful. "guarding yourself, I see."
"No," she said, shaking her head. "Not guarding. Grounded."
Steven raised a brow. "Meaning?"
She lifted her left hand slightly, not flashy, not dramatic, just enough for the sunlight to catch on the gold band around her finger.
"I'm married."
He blinked.
For a second, he didn't say anything. Just nodded once, slowly. "Right."
"Right" she assured, leaving no space for doubts.
Steven nodded again, this time more firmly. "He's a lucky man."
Esther smiled, not wide, not showy. Just enough to close the door between them. Whatever exited was in the past and better left there.
"I should get back to my rounds," she said, already turning away.
Steven watched her go, steady, graceful, untouchable now. Whatever fire had once flickered between them had found its way into something else entirely: a quiet, unshakable resolve.
And she didn't look back.
At LewisTech, Dija leaned against her uncle's desk, arms folded, eyes pleading.
"Come on, Uncle D, I'm not asking for much," she whined, blinking rapidly to will some tears into her voice. "Just talk to him. Tell Thomas to agree to Mom's conditions."
Daniel didn't even glance up from the code on his screen.
"For the fourth time, Dija," he said with calm finality, "I am not interfering in your love life. And I'm definitely not telling my assistant how to run his."
"But can't you just convince him?" she pressed, stepping around the desk like proximity might win her points. "Help me talk to him, just soften him up."
"Dija," he sighed, voice tinged with exhaustion, "Thomas is your partner. If anyone can make him listen, it's you. You don't need me. What you need is to stop trying to drag everyone else into this."
He returned his gaze to his screen, fingers scrolling again.
"But can you at least.."
"Dija."
His tone cut sharper than before, and the way he said her name made her flinch.
"Fine, I'll go," she muttered, grabbing her purse dramatically. "But don't come crying to me when your wife gets snatched right from under your nose."
The words left her lips too fast. Too loud.
And she froze before her heels could make their escape.
Daniel's eyes snapped up, cold and sharp. "What did you say?"
Dija turned slowly, smiling awkwardly. "Wife? Oh! I said white. White being snatched. I saw someone with a white bag like yours, I meant mine. I might snatch it."
He didn't blink.
"Dija," he said flatly, "say it. Or you won't just have your mother to deal with."
She groaned in surrender. "Ugh, sorry Esther," she mumbled under her breath, before straightening. "Okay. Fine."
She took a breath and said it all in one go. "Esther's first crush is back and just so happens to be working at her hospital. He's her superior. Which means they'll be seeing each other, working together, talking… a lot."
Daniel's expression darkened. "Crush?"
"Yeah. She liked him back in secondary school. He was her senior. She even confessed publicly," Dija said, biting her lip. "Apparently, he left for the UK right after, or else maybe…"
Her words trailed off at the look on Daniel's face.
His hand had stilled over his mouse, knuckles whitening. His jaw clenched tightly, the lines in his face suddenly more defined.
"Look, you don't have to worry," Dija rushed in. "Esther's married to you. You're her husband. Even if she does feel something, she's not going to act on it."
Daniel slowly rose to his feet.
And Dija panicked.
"I mean, she probably doesn't even feel anything! That was years ago. Just silly school stuff. And besides, you're you. She chose you. Loves you. I mean.."
"Dija," Daniel snapped, his voice low but laced with fire. "Would you please stop talking?"
Dija's lips clamped shut instantly.
He didn't shout. He didn't pace. But the silence around him thickened like a storm cloud. Daniel's eyes were still on the desk, but he wasn't seeing code anymore.
He was seeing a name.
Steven.
And suddenly, trust didn't feel like enough.
The sun was already leaning westward when Esther stepped out of the hospital doors. The evening air carried a tired calm as nurses, patients, and staff moved about in the fading light.
Steven was leaning against his car, keys twirling in hand, waiting, hoping. His eyes scanned the crowd, and when they finally landed on her, it was like a silent wind hit him.
Without thinking, his feet moved.
"Hey," he called out, voice smooth but eyes carrying something unspoken. "Need a ride?"
Esther paused mid-step, her face calm but cautious. "Thanks, but no. The driver should be here any minute."
Steven glanced up at the sky. "I don't know… weather doesn't look too friendly. Might be best if I drive you home."
"Steven," she said, eyes flicking to the road, "can we please keep this professional?"
He chuckled, brushing off her warning with ease. "I am being professional. Just trying to help a colleague beat the rain."
"And I'm going to politely turn down that offer," she replied, measured and firm. "I already have a ride on the way."
Steven nodded slowly, but made no move to leave. "I could wait. No harm in that."
Just then, a familiar black Bentley glided up to the curb. But instead of the driver behind the wheel, it was Daniel.
Esther blinked. What is he doing here? And at this hour?
Daniel stepped out, casually adjusting his sleeves like he had all the time in the world, though the flicker in his eyes said otherwise.
"Hey," Esther said, surprised but smiling. "I thought the driver was coming."
Daniel shrugged, his gaze drifting toward Steven, who stood not far off. "Got off work early. Thought I'd swing by."
Esther glanced between them, catching the way Daniel's brow arched ever so slightly. The tension already hung in the air, and she moved quickly to steady it.
"Oh," she said, stepping closer to Daniel. "Steven, this is Daniel. My husband."
Steven's jaw tightened, just for a second, but he extended a hand. "Pleasure."
Daniel took it, his grip steady. "Esther's colleague?" he asked, though he already knew.
Steven held the handshake a moment too long. "Her supervisor, actually."
Esther cleared her throat lightly. "Steven just joined our department. We work together."
Daniel offered a small smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes.
The silence that followed was thick, heavy with everything unspoken.
Esther glanced between them, suddenly hyper-aware of the static tension. The two men weren't glaring, no, this was quieter, more dangerous. Like two lions circling each other in polite suits.
"Well," she said quickly, gesturing to the car. "We should get going. Long day."
Daniel opened the passenger door for her, gaze flicking once more toward Steven before returning to neutral.
"Drive safe," Steven said, voice steady.
"You too," Daniel replied with a nod, though his tone suggested otherwise.
Esther climbed in, settling into her seat as Daniel rounded to the driver's side. Once inside, he didn't start the engine right away.
Instead, he gripped the wheel in silence.
Esther glanced sideways at him, sensing the storm beneath his stillness. "You okay?"
Daniel gave a small smile. "Yeah. Just felt like picking up my wife today."
She nodded slowly, eyes narrowing just slightly. "Okay."
Outside, Steven had turned, walking back to his car, hands in his pockets, jaw locked tight.
And inside the car, Daniel finally pulled away, quiet, focused, driving like the road was something he had to win.
At night, Dinner was quiet, at least on the surface.
Betty hummed through her bites, chattering about school, pranks she wanted to pull on teacher, and how someone brought a turtle in a shoebox to class. Esther responded with her usual warmth, gently wiping the corners of Betty's mouth, nodding at her stories, encouraging her with little smiles.
Daniel barely touched his plate.
His eyes weren't on the food. They hadn't left Esther since they sat down.
He watched her laugh, soft and genuine, when Betty made a joke that didn't quite land. He watched the way she held the spoon, the way her fingers brushed the little girl's cheek, the way she leaned in to whisper something sweet that made Betty giggle and squirm.
She was light. Poised. Present.
And somehow, he was the only one distracted.
She rose from her chair, scooping Betty up in that motherly grace she carried so naturally. "Come on, pumpkin. Time for bed," she said.
Betty groaned playfully, but Esther was already carrying her off, casting Daniel a glance over her shoulder, unreadable.
He stayed seated.
His jaw clenched.
The silence in the dining room settled heavier once they were gone. He stared at the untouched food in front of him, but all he could see was him, Steven, standing too close, offering rides, shaking his hand with a little too much confidence, a little too much familiarity.
Colleague
The word replayed like static.
Daniel leaned back in his chair, jaw tight, chest heavy. Of course she'd never mentioned him before. Why would she? She had no reason to. Nothing to hide, right?
But still…
There was something about the way Steven looked at her, not just recognition. It was history. It was possession.
And Daniel hated it.
He raked a hand through his hair, staring at the hallway where her silhouette had just vanished.
He trusted her.
He did.
But trust didn't stop the sick twist in his stomach. The jealousy. The fear.
Because she was still his wife.
And she was his only soft spot.
Back in their room, Esther entered quietly, gently closing the door behind her. Her eyes moved to Daniel, who was sitting at the edge of the bed with his arms crossed over his chest like a brooding eight-year-old.
She gave him a look. "Alright, I've tucked Betty in. It's your turn now."
Daniel looked up, feigning confusion. "Turn for what?"
"Don't do that," Esther said, stepping closer. "I've been trained to read people, remember? Something's bothering you, and I've watched you sulk in silence since dinner. Now, go ahead. Say what you've been holding in."
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as if the words physically itched under his skin. "Steven… is he an old colleague? Or a new one?"
"Old," Esther said simply. "Schoolmates, actually. He was a senior back in high school."
Daniel nodded, trying to make it seem like that was all he wanted to know, but his silence lingered too long.
Esther sat beside him, their knees brushing. She looked him straight in the eyes. "Is there something else you want to ask, Mr Lewis ?"
He hesitated, then forced out, "Was there ever… anything between you two?"
Esther didn't flinch. Her voice was calm, honest. "No. There wasn't. I did have a crush on him, I even confessed, back then. But we were kids, Mr Lewis . And it was one-sided."
Daniel exhaled slowly, still avoiding her gaze. "I'm not saying I don't trust you. It's just… seeing him. The way he looked at you. Like he knew something I didn't. Like he still wanted something."
Esther reached for his hand, folding it gently into hers.
"You're not wrong to feel what you feel," she said softly. "But Steven is the past. Whatever fantasy I had in high school ended long before you walked into my life."
She leaned closer, her forehead touching his.
"You're my present. And my future. I chose you, Daniel."
He swallowed the knot in his throat, eyes finally meeting hers. "I just… I don't want to lose you."
"You won't," she whispered. "But next time, just tell me when you're scared. I'd rather reassure you than watch you fight shadows alone."
He nodded, drawing her into his arms.
And for the first time that evening, his heartbeat slowed.