NEXT MORNING,
The next morning broke quietly, washed in soft sunlight and the faint smell of hospital disinfectant lingering on Ava's scrubs from the previous day. She was at work already, her mind still circling the conversation with Joyce. Something about her mother's expression wouldn't leave her alone—the panic, the hesitation, the guilt.
But far across town, someone else was wrestling with tension too.
---
Dolly stood outside the tall glass building, her fingers trembling slightly as she smoothed her shirt. She had looked up the address three times before finally convincing herself she wasn't being dramatic. But the thought of Bella—Ava's first love, the girl who could still make Ava's eyes go distant in a heartbeat—was eating at her.
"I'm not losing her," Dolly whispered to herself under her breath. She walked in.
The lobby was bright and marble-polished, the sound of typing and distant phones humming through the air. She approached the reception desk, keeping her voice steady.
"How may I help you please?" Bella's secretary asked with a polite smile.
"I'm here to see Bella," Dolly replied.
"Alright. Please sign your name here."
The secretary slid a clipboard forward.
Dolly scribbled her name and stepped back, her chest rising and falling a little too fast.
The secretary picked up the phone and dialed.
In her office upstairs, Bella was leaning forward in her leather chair, sipping her hot coffee while monitoring Ava's hospital location like a quiet shadow. She wasn't stalking—no, she told herself—but she checked often. Too often.
When the phone rang, she answered absentmindedly.
"Miss Isabella, you have a visitor," the secretary announced.
Bella frowned. "Who is it?"
"She's Dolly."
Bella froze—for only half a second, but it was enough. She knew exactly what Dolly wanted. She even knew how the conversation would end.
"Let her in," Bella said calmly and hung up.
The secretary appeared at the office door moments later.
"Miss Dolly, kindly follow me."
Dolly walked beside her, shoulders stiff, heartbeat loud in her ears. When they reached Bella's door, the secretary knocked lightly and opened it.
---
"Good morning, Bella," Dolly said, stepping inside.
Bella sat with the easy confidence of someone who knew exactly who she was. She looked up slowly, her face unreadable.
"Good morning, Dolly." Bella gestured toward the seat opposite her. "Have a seat."
Dolly sat, legs crossing tightly, palms resting on her knees.
"To what do I owe this visit?" Bella asked, her tone polite but distant.
Dolly didn't waste time.
"It's very simple. I want you to stay away from my wife."
A slow, amused eyebrow lifted.
"Your wife? Oh—you both married already?" Bella's voice was soft but sharp.
Dolly inhaled sharply, fighting the spark of irritation in her chest. She promised herself she would stay calm, no matter what.
"She doesn't want to see you again. So stay away from her."
Bella tilted her head slightly. "I'm not following her. Am I? She's my mother's cardiologist. Which means… we're going to meet often."
Dolly swallowed hard. Bella's calmness only made her more anxious.
"If you don't want her to hate you more than she already does," Dolly said quietly, "then take my advice and leave her alone."
Bella's lips curved faintly at the corner.
"If she hated me that much," she said softly, "she wouldn't still be wearing the ring I gave her years ago."
Dolly froze.
Bella didn't.
"And we never broke up."
The words were spoken so simply, so confidently, Dolly felt the floor under her shift.
For a moment, she saw red—blinding, burning red.
At this point, she wanted to throw hands.
And she did.
Dolly stood and slapped Bella across the face, the sound sharp and echoing through the office. Bella's head turned slightly with the force, but her expression didn't break.
A thin line of blood touched the corner of her nose.
Bella smiled.
"I'll spare you," Bella said quietly, wiping the blood with the back of her hand, "because Ava's probably trying to break up with you, and you're all in your feelings." she smiled.
"And if your wife hasn't told you who I am, do ask her so you don't raise those hands again"
Dolly's chest heaved, anger shaking through her.
"Ava is still mine," she said with trembling breath. "Remember that."
She stormed out of the office, the secretary looking up in shock as Dolly passed.
Bella leaned back in her chair, exhaling slowly.
Her cheek throbbed, but she didn't touch it.
Her eyes lowered to her phone screen—Ava's location.
"Ava," she whispered, "you're still mine too. And it isn't over"
---
BACK AT THE HOSPITAL
Ava sat in her office, glasses low on her nose as she flipped through a patient chart. She was scribbling notes when the door opened without a knock.
Only one person did that.
"Good morning, babe," Dolly chimed, sliding inside with a smile that was too sweet, too warm.
Ava looked up, surprised. "Hey. You didn't even wait to be ushered in."
"It's me, your wife" Dolly said playfully, walking around the desk.
She placed a gentle kiss on Ava's forehead, then lifted her chin softly and kissed her lips. Ava didn't resist—she kissed her back, though her mind was still cluttered.
"What's going on this morning?" Ava asked with a small grin. "You're acting sweeter than honey. I don't wanna get diabetes."
Dolly laughed, brushing Ava's hair with her fingers.
"I should be this sweet every day," she said. "Because my girlfriend is the prettiest woman on earth. And she belongs to me alone."
Ava raised a brow, amused. "Someone's poetic today."
"No," Dolly said, her voice lowering. "I'm the luckiest woman. Don't you think so?"
Ava paused.
Something about the way Dolly said it…
Too clingy. Too desperate. Too suddenly affectionate.
Ava leaned back slightly, studying her girlfriend's face.
"Dolly… what happened?"
Dolly's smile tightened for half a second before she softened it again.
"Nothing. I just love you," she whispered.
Ava nodded slowly, but she didn't fully believe her.
There was something different in the way Dolly held her waist.
Something hidden in her eyes. Something she wasn't saying.
—---
The hospital afternoon was quiet in that strange way where silence felt heavier than noise. Sunlight leaked through the blinds in thin pale lines, stretching across the office floor where Ava sat half-leaning against her sofa, her white coat tossed somewhere on the chair behind her.
Dolly was straddling her lap, kissing her deeply, her hands cupping Ava's face as if she were scared Ava would vanish if she let go. Ava didn't stop her. She didn't push her away. She closed her eyes and let the kiss continue, her body responding even though her heart felt numb.
She wanted to forget.
Just for a moment.
Just long enough to breathe without the weight of Bella in her chest.
Dolly kissed her like she was trying to claim her. Ava let her—not because she wanted it, but because she wanted to feel something other than the ache she had been carrying for years.
Her hands slid up Dolly's back, taking off her shirt, searching for warmth, searching for distraction, searching for anything that wasn't Bella.
Dolly whispered against her lips, breath shaky with desire and victory, "I love you, Ava. You're mine."
Ava swallowed hard and kissed her again.
Not passion. Not love. Just escape. Just silence.
Just shutting every door where Bella's name echoed.
Dolly's fingers slid into Ava's hair. Ava's hand gripped Dolly's waist.
Dolly examined her bare chest placing kisses on her chest. It was their first time after being together for 4 years. Ava had never allowed Dolly to move more than a kiss and a hug. She couldn't believe it was happening.
And that was the exact moment…
…the office door opened.
Soft. Quiet. Almost gentle.
But it hit harder than any slam.
Ava froze. Dolly froze.