Doctor Love

Chapter 23

KATE’S POV

“I love you, Kate.”

His voice kept echoing in my head like a song on repeat. Over and over. I couldn’t shake it.

David Villa, the arrogant, cold, pompous golden boy of the hospital, loved me?

It didn’t make any sense. Was that why he’d kissed me days ago? Was that why he’d gone all the way to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, disappearing from work like he was on a secret mission

No, no, no.

This had to be a joke. It had to be one of his twisted games, another notch in his belt of “Let’s emotionally torture Kate until she breaks.”

I almost laughed in his face, But then, He grabbed me, and slammed his lips on mine.Not like before. Not hard and rushed and impulsive. But soft. So soft it felt like my heart split in two.

His lips were gentle, barely brushing against mine at first, like he was asking for permission.

But the moment I didn’t pull away, he deepened it. His hands found my waist, drawing me closer, anchoring me to him. I could feel the tremble in his fingertips, the way he kissed like he’d been holding his breath for years and I was the first real exhale.

I wanted to stop him, but I didn’t.

Tears slipped down my cheeks. Not because I was sad, but because for the first time in a long time, I felt… seen. My entire body responded to that kiss, my knees wobbled, my fingers dug into the fabric of his shirt, my heart thudded so loudly I was sure he could hear it.

Then reality crashed back in.

He bullied you, Kate. He humiliated you. He made you feel like less. He doesn’t deserve you.

I pushed him away with everything I had, ignoring the ache in my chest. He staggered back, his eyes wide with disbelief. I tried to walk past him, but his hand grabbed mine again.

“Please,” he said, voice cracking. “I can’t lose you, Kate. Just give this a chance. Please.”

I yanked my hand free, ignoring the way his words clung to me like smoke, and turned my back on him. I marched straight back into Dr. Bennet’s office.

My father was pacing like a man unraveling at the seams. The second I stepped in, he rushed toward me, clinging to hope like it was oxygen.

I couldn’t even look him in the eye. I shook my head slowly. His shoulders sagged like I’d hit him.

The door opened again, and David walked in.

He didn’t look at me. Instead, he looked at my father. “Kate doesn’t want to give it a try, Mr. Mason,” he said, his voice steady but low.

My father turned to me, eyes filled with something I couldn’t name, and then turned right back to David.

“What is it?” he asked, desperation thick in his voice. “What is this treatment?”

Dr. Bennet leaned forward too, his brow furrowed. “Let’s hear it.”

David walked over and sat beside me, so close I could smell his cologne, that familiar cedar-and-mint scent that used to irritate me. Now? It made my heart ache.

He spoke slowly, explaining every detail, the gene therapy, the trial at Johns Hopkins, the results, the patients, the hope. He spoke like someone who’d memorized the science, but lived the story. And then he ended it.

“There’s a 50/50 chance,” he said.

Silence.

Dr. Bennet nodded slowly. “It’s a promising direction.”

Then he turned to me. “Kate?”

I felt all their eyes on me—my father, Dr. Bennet, David. My heart was racing, and the tears I’d tried so hard to hide began to roll again.

“I can’t…” My voice broke. “I can’t be an experimental subject.”

“It’s more than just experimental,” David started, but I glared at him and he fell silent.

My dad reached for my hands. “You’re scared, my child. Right?” he whispered.

I nodded slowly. He squeezed my hands, and I could feel his pain through his touch. His desperation. The room fell quiet again.

Then Dr. Bennet cleared his throat. “If this works—and Kate survives the experiment—then every other patient suffering from this disease may finally have hope. This isn’t just a treatment. It’s a potential breakthrough.”

I looked up at him. “And what if it fails?”

Dr. Bennet paused, then shared a heavy look with David before turning back to me.

“She may lose her life in the process.”

The words hung in the air like smoke. I heard my father gasp, saw him clutch his chest like the words physically hurt him. His face turned ashen, and I could see him fighting back the tears.

He was breaking, and I was the reason.

I stood up. My knees wobbled slightly but I steadied myself. I turned to David, rage rising up inside me.

“If this is your twisted way of finally getting rid of me so you can have the assistant position to yourself, you’re out of your mind.”

His mouth fell open. “What?”

“I’m not stupid, David. You’ve wanted me gone since day one. But if you think I’m walking into that trial like some sacrificial lamb, you’ve lost it. I’m not dying just so you can rise.”

“Kate, that’s not—”

“Shut up!” I snapped at him and stormed to the door, yanked it open, and was about to leave when I heard my father’s voice.

“We will do it.”

I froze. The panic punched me straight in the chest.

I turned around slowly. “What?” I whispered.

Tears were running down his cheeks. His hands were shaking.

“I said,” he repeated, looking straight at Dr. Bennet, “we’ll do it.”