Maya Velez made herself a promise the day her husband drowned.

Keep the hospital running.

Raise their son.

Never trust anyone with her heart again.

Then Peninsula Healthcare sent Dr. Garrett Wolfe to evaluate them for closure. A corporate efficiency expert with ice-cold spreadsheets and a reputation for shutting down rural hospitals.

She expected a monster.

She got a man who could perform emergency surgery between budget meetings.

Maya had rebuilt her life around protecting what mattered most. Her son. The community that held her together when grief nearly destroyed her.

Garrett was the threat to everything she'd sworn to preserve.

Two weeks to save her world. Fourteen days to prove their hospital's worth.

She just hadn't counted on the enemy having kind eyes.

†This story was produced using author-directed AI tools.