The inextricable love

Episode 4

Silence stretched between them.

"There's something else," she continued. "I don't take cases where there is no hope. Yours had hope the moment I looked into it." She inhaled slowly. "I'm not going to work on you for free for charity. I'm going to because I want to prove myself ....and clear your doubts about me. I won't take your money. I won't take credit.... When this is over, you will owe me nothing."

Donathan remained silent.

She raised and took a step back.

"I'll leave you alone. Give you some space."

She turned and walked away.

Donathan didn't say a word. He only watched her leave with a frown on his face but there was no more anger only frustration, he hated the fact that he could not feel anger towards her and hated how she held his gaze and the way she looked at him easily reading him, no one has ever tried so and the way she spoke, he hated it, Donathan's hand clenched around the armrest of his wheelchair

Leaving the room, Samantha exhaled slowly, touching her simple small necklace on her chest, She did not realize how tightly she had been holding herself together until the door closed behind her. For a brief moment, she stood still, collecting herself.

She had dealt with difficult patients before—hostile ones, frightened ones, even those who took their pain out on the nearest person unfortunate enough to be trying to help. She had learned long ago how to build a wall between herself and their sharp words. But Donathan Ashford was another case, besides his intimidating character Samantha felt something else about him especially when they locked eyes, She nibbled her lower lip, whatever it was it wasn't good and she will not entertain it, she took another breath out and walked away

Reaching down the stairs, she spotted Maria coming towards her, carrying a silver tray in her hands.

"Oh, there you are," Maria said warmly slowing her steps. "I was bringing this to you."

"Oh..." Samantha murmured, momentarily distracted by the neatly arranged fruits and a glass of what looked like freshly squeezed juice.

"It's only some refreshments and fruits," Maria added quickly, adjusting her grip. "Nothing heavy, don't worry."

Samantha gave a small smile. "Thank you."

Maria hesitated, studying her face with gentle curiosity. "Are you leaving?"

"Um... no," Samantha replied. "I just wanted to leave Mr. Ashford alone for a moment. He's... not in the best mood."

Maria nodded, understanding etched into her expression "Then let me put this there."

She turned toward the living room, and Samantha followed. The space opened up grandly—high ceilings, Sunlight spilled through tall windows, furniture arranged with elegance. It was beautiful.

Samantha sat on one of the couches as Maria placed the tray down on the glass table in front of her.

"Can I say something, Doctor?" Maria asked gently looking at her.

"Samantha," she corrected automatically smiling.

Maria smiled too. "Apologies." She sat beside her, folding her hands in her lap. "Nathan is not that bad. Don't let his anger and coldness fool you. When you get to understand him—when you really know him—you'll see that he's a good man."

Samantha sighed softly. "I see it too," she admitted. "It looks as if a lot has happened to him... beside the accident." She paused, then asked quietly, "Do you happen to know why he doesn't like us health workers?"

Maria glanced around as if the walls themselves might be listening. "I'm going to tell you,"she said in a lower voice, "but this didn't come from me.... Nathan won't be pleased"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Samantha assured her.

Maria shifted closer. "The reason he chased away Dr. Cane is because he caught his shameless assistants exploiting him."

Maria shifted closer. "The reason he chased away Dr. Cane is because he caught his shameless assistants exploiting him."

Samantha frowned. "Exploiting? I don't understand."

"You see Nathan is quite a sight to ladies," Maria said with a teasing smile and winked. "I mean... you've heard rumors about his looks and his appealing reputation with women. You've seen him yourself; he is a very attractive man."

Samantha's mind immediately betrayed her, pulling her back to their first encounter. Even confined to a wheelchair, even wrapped in bitterness and pain, the man had possessed a presence that filled the room effortlessly. And his looks were beyond.

"It's very hard," Maria continued, "for any woman—not to feel attracted to him. Very rare."

Samantha swallowed, saying nothing.

"At first," Maria said, "it was how they touched him—under the excuse of therapy. Then how they spoke to him. Too familiar. Too bold making silly excuses."

"And today," Maria continued, swallowing, "he caught them taking pictures. They were about to post them."

"What?" Samantha whispered with surprise.

"Can you believe it," said maria with frustration. "and Nathan is very private. So when he found out, he went furious. Dr. Cane begged him—not to sue them, not to tell Mrs. Ashford. He talked about their personal problems, asked for forgiveness. And the only thing Nathan did was chase them away."

"God, that's awful" Samantha breathed.

"It's not the first time," Maria added sadly. "Sometimes doctors accept the job just for fame, the few ones especially women couldn't remain professional, then there was One who was spying on the family, giving information to journalists. Another turned out to be a scammer. And what's surprising is—they were all well-known in their fields."

Samantha shook her head slowly. "That's... a lot."

"They were genuine doctors too," Maria said. "But most couldn't handle Nathan. Some quit on the first day."

Maria reached out, her hand covering Samantha's gently. "But something tells me you can handle him. Mrs. Ashford spoke very highly of you. She said you're known for handling difficult patients. That you've never failed anyone under your care."

Her eyes softened desperately they searched for hope. "You will handle him... right?"

Samantha looked down at their joined hands, feeling the weight of expectation settle on her shoulders. Then she lifted her gaze, calm and smiled.

"Don't worry, I won't promise miracles" she said quietly. "But with patience... and prayers... he will heal."

Mary smiled, "thank you"

Samantha nodded with a smile

"Please excuse me.... if you need anything or any help, I am here," she said as she raised.

Samantha heard Footsteps approaching, she looked up to see Mrs. Ashford entering.

"Samantha," Mrs. Ashford greeted warmly.

"Is everything alright?" Mrs. Ashford asked, settling into one of the armchairs.

"Yes, everything is alright," Samantha replied with a calm nod.

"How is Nathan?" Mrs. Ashford

"Honestly," Samantha began, "he is quite challenging. And that's why I need your help with something."

"Anything," Mrs. Ashford said immediately. "Just tell me."

"I need you to be present whenever I work with Mr. Ashford.... You are both his weakness and his strength.... He won't refuse me if you're there, and your presence will encourage him... give him a reason to push himself."

"Oh dear Of course, I'll be there," Mrs. Ashford said without hesitation. "Just call me anytime, and I'll be by your side."

Before Samantha could respond, her phone vibrated. She excused herself and answered the call. "Excuse me," she murmured.

It was an emergency at the hospital, "I'm on my way." she replied

Ending the call, she turned back to Mrs. Ashford. "I will be starting his therapy session tomorrow. But in my absence, I'm going to leave Luka with some tasks to manage. You don't need to worry about anything. All you have to do is just be there with him."

"Oh, dear," Mrs. Ashford said with a gentle smile. "Even if you need me to carry him, to help him move, I will. Don't worry about me."

Samantha smiled faintly, a little relieved. "Thank you. I'll inform Luka and make sure everything is ready."

She made her way to Donathan's quarters. Reaching inside, she found Luka already there.

"Oh, thank God you're here," she said