It had been weeks since Adrian had started to withdraw, and Ally couldn’t take it anymore. She had tried to talk to him, to reach out in every possible way, but he had continued to shut her and everyone else out. The silent treatment was starting to take a toll on her too—on both of them. He wouldn’t talk to her, wouldn’t open up, and every time she tried to make a move, he would either change the subject or avoid the conversation altogether.

That night, after another exhausting day in the hospital, Ally had had enough. She stormed into the hospital’s small park area, the cold air biting her cheeks, her eyes fixed with determination. Adrian was pacing there, staring out into the night sky, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

"Adrian," Ally called out, her voice sharp, cutting through the quiet night air.

He didn’t turn around. He knew it was her, but he wasn’t ready to face her yet. He had been avoiding everything, even her.

"Adrian," she repeated, walking toward him, her voice trembling with frustration, but she wouldn’t let herself show weakness. "Why are you doing this? What is wrong with you? Why are you shutting everyone out like this? Why are you pushing me away?"

Adrian finally turned to face her, his expression unreadable, but the pain in his eyes was clear.

"I’m not pushing you away, Ally," he said quietly. "I’m just trying to deal with everything. I’m... I’m not ready to talk about it."

"Not ready to talk about it?" Ally scoffed, her anger rising. "You’ve been avoiding me, avoiding everyone! You shut me out every single time I try to talk to you. You’ve pushed everyone away! You even stopped talking to Victoria, and she’s your colleague! Why are you doing this, Adrian? What happened to you? What happened to us?"

Her voice cracked, but she fought it back. She wouldn’t let him see how much it hurt her. How much it broke her heart to see him like this.

Adrian's eyes softened for a moment, but then his gaze hardened again. "You wouldn’t understand, Ally."

"Don’t you dare say that," Ally snapped, stepping closer to him. "I do understand. I’ve been here for you, Adrian. I’ve always been here. But this..." She gestured to the space between them. "This is not how you deal with things! You can’t just shut everyone out! You can’t do this to me!"

Adrian looked down, his hands shaking. "I don’t want to hurt you, Ally. I don’t want to drag you into this."

Ally’s eyes were now brimming with tears, but she fought to keep them back. "You’re not dragging me into anything, Adrian. I want to be here. I want to be with you. But you have to stop shutting me out. You have to stop pretending that everything’s okay when it’s clearly not."

The silence between them was thick, and Ally took a deep breath, her voice softer now, more vulnerable.

"Adrian, I love you. I don’t know how else to make you see it, but I do. I love you, and I can’t stand watching you hurt like this. You don’t have to do this alone. You have me. You always will. So stop pushing me away, please."

Adrian’s breath hitched at her words. His eyes locked onto hers, stunned, his chest tightening. For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond. He had been avoiding her, avoiding his own feelings, but Ally's words hit him like a wave. He could see the sincerity in her eyes, and it felt like everything inside him was breaking open.

"I… I didn’t know what to say," Adrian whispered, his voice barely audible. "I didn’t want to pull you into all of this... I didn’t want you to get hurt."

Ally took another step toward him, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her. "I’m already in this, Adrian. Whether you want to pull me in or not, I’m already here. And I’m not going anywhere. But you need to talk to me. You need to let me help you. I can’t keep watching you go through this alone."

Adrian stared at her, his heart pounding in his chest. The tension between them was palpable, the air thick with everything they hadn’t said. He was still unsure, still afraid of what would happen if he let her in completely. But the look in her eyes, the love and care she was offering him without hesitation, made him finally crack.

He let out a shaky breath and closed the gap between them, standing right in front of her. His voice trembled, but he spoke from the heart.

"I’m sorry, Ally. I didn’t know how to do this. I didn’t know how to... how to be with you without ruining everything."

Ally placed her hand on his chest, her touch soft, but her words firm. "You don’t have to be perfect, Adrian. You just have to be you. And I’ll love you for who you are. But you have to trust me. You have to let me in."

Adrian’s heart ached as he looked at her, finally allowing himself to feel the weight of his emotions. He knew he had been holding back, not just from her but from everything. But now, standing there in the cold night with Ally in front of him, he realized how much he needed her. How much he wanted to stop pretending everything was fine when it wasn’t.

"I love you too, Ally," he whispered, his voice raw. "I’m sorry for everything."

Ally smiled through her tears, relief flooding her chest. She had finally broken through to him. The barriers he had put up were starting to crumble, and for the first time in a long time, she felt like they could face anything together.

And in that moment, under the starry sky, Adrian took Ally’s hand, and for the first time in weeks, he allowed himself to feel something real. Something that wasn’t just about work, about expectations, or about the rumors that had haunted him.

It was about them. About their love. And it was enough.

The next day, Adrian’s mood seemed completely different. He was no longer distant and cold. He smiled more often, engaged in conversations with his colleagues, and even joked around with the staff, something that had been rare for the past few weeks. It was as if the weight he had been carrying around had finally lifted. But there was one person he still made a point of ignoring: Victoria.

Victoria, who had been used to Adrian’s attention, noticed the change immediately. She couldn’t understand why he was suddenly acting so distant toward her, while being friendly with everyone else. It was clear to her that the tension between them hadn’t dissipated. If anything, it seemed to be growing.

As the day went on, Victoria's frustration began to grow. She could feel the eyes of her colleagues on her as Adrian would walk past without so much as a glance. The more he ignored her, the more she became determined to get answers. By the afternoon, she was fuming.

At lunch, she went straight to Mr. Harrison’s office. Her face was tight with irritation as she knocked on the door.

"Mr. Harrison, I need to talk to you," she said, her voice cool but sharp.

Mr. Harrison looked up from his paperwork, raising an eyebrow at her tone. "Of course, Victoria. What’s the matter?"

"It's about Dr. Adrian," she began, her eyes flashing with annoyance. "He's been acting completely out of line, and I need to know why he's ignoring me. I thought we had an understanding, and now he’s treating me like I’m invisible. I don’t know what’s going on, but this is affecting our work."

Mr. Harrison raised a hand, his expression serious. "I’ve heard some things about Dr. Adrian recently," he said slowly. "Rumors, mostly. He’s been distant, but I haven’t seen any reason for him to treat you differently."

Victoria’s frustration grew. "I’m just trying to do my job, and this is affecting the team dynamic. If you don’t do something about it, it’s going to cause more problems."

Mr. Harrison sighed, rubbing his temples. "I understand your concerns, but I need to trust that Dr. Adrian knows what he’s doing. He’s been through a lot recently, and I don’t think now’s the time to add fuel to the fire. Just let it be for now, okay?"

Victoria didn’t like the way the conversation was going. She didn’t feel like she was getting the support she needed. But before she could argue further, Mr. Harrison held up his hand.

"That’s enough for now, Victoria. We’ll see if things improve. If not, we can discuss it further."

With a huff, Victoria turned on her heel and left his office, seething with frustration. She didn’t understand why Adrian was behaving this way, but it was clear he wasn’t interested in her anymore. And that didn’t sit well with her. Not one bit.

Meanwhile, Adrian had made it a point to stay away from her, not only because he wanted to avoid conflict but also because he had made a promise to himself. He was done with the drama. He didn’t want to continue pretending to care about someone who had caused so much pain in his life. Victoria’s attitude had pushed him away, and now he was focused on something—or rather, someone—much more important to him.

As the day came to a close, Adrian found himself sitting in the break room, casually chatting with his colleagues. He was making an effort to be social again, to reconnect with people, but every now and then, his gaze would flicker to Victoria. She was sitting by herself, her arms crossed and her face twisted in annoyance. She was obviously upset, and Adrian couldn’t bring himself to care anymore.

He had chosen his path. And Ally was at the center of it. He didn’t need to explain anything to Victoria. He didn’t owe her anything. But he owed it to himself to make things right, to live his life the way he wanted to—without regret, without the weight of toxic relationships hanging over him.

That night, as he and Ally were finishing their shifts, Adrian took a moment to talk to her in the quiet of the hospital’s parking lot.

"Everything’s fine now," Adrian said, his voice lighter than it had been in weeks. "I think I can finally breathe again."

Ally smiled softly, relief washing over her. "I’m glad to hear that," she said, her hand brushing against his. "You’ve been through a lot."

Adrian chuckled, squeezing her hand. "I have you to thank for that," he said, his voice filled with warmth. "I think I just needed to realize that I can be happy again. I don’t need to carry all that weight anymore."

They stood in the quiet parking lot for a moment, just enjoying the peace. Adrian had made his decision. He was no longer going to let Victoria or anyone else dictate his life. He was finally free to focus on what really mattered: his future, his work, and Ally.

But even as they stood there, a part of Adrian’s mind lingered on Victoria. He knew that things weren’t going to be the same between them again. The silence between them spoke volumes, and he was okay with that. For once, he was going to live for himself. And nothing was going to change that.