Surgeon & Captain

omfortably under Rafael's gaze, his eyes still searching hers with a look that was both familiar and

is voice soft but unwavering. "I ow

that night in America when a bullet nearly took him from this world, but it had always been her duty, her re

d away from. He had become someone who lingered in the corners of her mind, even though she'd co

looked at her now, the intensity in his eyes, it was nothing like the man she had saved years ago. This was a man who had lived through things s

"But I still feel like I owe you," he said, his voice tinged with something deeper, something dar

t in America, no desire to relive the memories. But there was something about Rafael, something about the way

ked, cutting through the unspoken te

e between them. She could feel the heat radiating off him, the steady beat of his heart tha

ce holding a note of regret. "But part of that reason... is you, Elara. I

had just admitted something she wasn't ready to hear. The years apart had been difficult enough f

," Elara murmured, her voice barely abov

en't been living my life, just like you have? I came back because I wanted to see you again, to tell you the truth. But now, I'm

rling inside her. What was she supposed to say to a man who had been a ghost in her life for so long,

in her heart, something deep inside, told her that it wasn't that simple. The last six yea

y, afraid that if she looked into his eyes again, she'd lose the last bit of control she had over herself.

she needed to breathe. He seemed to understand the weight of her words. Fo

ng for anything. I just wanted to let you know that I'm here. I'm n

feelings he had just stirred in her, but she knew one thing: their pat

ed, her voice trembling with vulnerability she r

ng. "I'll give you that time, Elara. But just remember-someti

thoughts and emotions she didn't have the answers to. As she stepped into the c