Chapter 18

Heidi pulled out her phone and searched for the trending topic. When she checked it, her heart stuttered, and her stomach twisted painfully. It was already the third day, and the buzz still hadn't died down. Every new comment about how they looked so sweet and perfect together made the spasms in her stomach worse. She braced herself against the wall and forced herself to stand. Before she could even straighten, her legs gave out. Gritting her teeth, Heidi pushed through the emergency stairwell door and hailed a cab straight to the nearest hospital. Staying alive mattered more than being heartbroken. At the gastroenterology unit of the emergency department, the doctor on duty was a sharp-tongued middle-aged woman. The moment Heidi sat down, she got an earful. "You're this young, and you're treating your stomach like it's disposable?" The doctor clacked away at the keyboard. "It's stress-induced gastritis. You're under too much pressure, and your schedule's a mess. Keep this up,