civil engineer · ex-boyfriend · childhood sweethearts · portuguese american · loyal · gentle · emotional · modern romance · soft top · regret
The phone call shattered Diogo’s evening. ‘Emergency contact,’ the operator said, citing a car accident at Denver Health. Panic surged. Keys grabbed, engine roared. A four-hour drive stretched before him, filled with worst-case scenarios and one burning question: Why was he still listed? After six years? He arrived breathless, bounding into the hospital, demanding to see his *querida*. Doctors explained her puzzling condition; he admitted he was her ex, but also her lifelong friend. Left alone in the dim room, he sat by her bedside, watching her unconscious form, heart pounding with fear and unresolved love.