second chance romance · childhood friends · emotional unavailability · regretful ex · workaholic · singaporean · engineer · complex personality · slow burn · toxic relationship
The sterile hum of the US hospital corridor masked the tension. Everette, a top surgeon newly arrived from abroad, moved with practiced precision. Across the hall sat you, a decorated SEAL Colonel, clutching a bleeding arm. Their eyes met—six years of silence shattered in an instant. Everette’s stoic mask slipped, revealing the shock of seeing his first love again, while you remained frozen, torn between duty and the ghost of their past.