[Part 1] prologue

The rain tapped softly against the window, a steady rhythm that matched the soft thudding of Isla’s heart. She stood by the glass, watching as the world outside blurred into streaks of gray and blue. There was a certain stillness in the air, a quiet calm that belied the storm that raged inside her.

This was not the life she had imagined for herself—not in the way it was unfolding, with all its unexpected twists and unfamiliar emotions. From a young age, Isla had always been sure of what she wanted. Becoming a doctor had been her singular focus, her driving force. She had dedicated years to studying, sacrificing her personal life for the dream of helping others, believing that her career would be enough to fill the void that had always lingered within her.

But here she was, on the brink of something she hadn’t planned for, something she couldn’t control. Love. It was messy, unpredictable, and frighteningly powerful. It threatened to unravel the carefully constructed life she had built, tugging at the edges of her heart in ways she had never anticipated.

She thought of Daniel, the man who had walked into her life so unexpectedly, like a gust of wind that knocked everything off balance. She hadn’t meant to fall for him. He was older, more established, a man with a life so different from hers. Their worlds shouldn’t have collided, yet here they were, entangled in something neither of them could fully explain.

Isla sighed, running her fingers through her damp hair, still wet from the rain she had been caught in earlier that evening. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the confusion, the doubts that plagued her. Could she truly have it all—her career, her ambitions, and a love that seemed destined to complicate everything?

For so long, she had believed that love would be a distraction, something that would take her focus away from the goals she had worked so hard to achieve. And yet, with Daniel, it didn’t feel like a distraction. It felt like coming home.

She knew that the road ahead would not be easy. There were too many questions, too many uncertainties. Could they make it work? Could they balance the demands of their careers with the growing intensity of their relationship? And most pressing of all, was she ready to open herself up to the kind of love that demanded vulnerability, the kind that asked for everything?

The sound of a car horn from the street below pulled her from her thoughts, and Isla blinked, her eyes focusing once again on the world outside. The rain had stopped, and the city lights reflected on the wet pavement, casting an ethereal glow over the streets.

This was the calm before the storm, she realized. The beginning of something that would change everything.

Isla turned away from the window, her heart heavy with anticipation. She didn’t know what the future held, but for the first time in a long while, she was willing to find out.

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