l to thunderous applause, but

e diamond inside catching the last of the stage lights.

han,

e rising star I' d fallen for, and I had just made the biggest mistake of m

t say no. She t

ice carrying across the suddenly quiet theater. "His nam

, stealing the air from my lungs. The audience murmured.

oice cut thro

im if you don'

. She was elegant, poised, a woman I' d only met in passing

id, her voice a soothing balm. "Let me help you. I h

, took the ring, and sli

ed me. We were marr

mell of antiseptic and the searing,

been anything but. It left me with third-

hear voices through the haze. Nicole' s voice,

the doctor was saying. "We can use it for

evoid of any emotion. "You' ll

he words. Matthew Blakel

tone casual, as if discussing the weather. "He needs a small graft. Any sca

"your husband' s burns are life-threateni

?" Nicole' s words were ice. "For Ethan, use the s

ng a sickening gray. My heart, a muscle I thought had been s

on. But I didn't press it. Instead, I fumbled for the

in gauze, slowly typed a number

my family' s