Who Knew My Assigned Mechanic Husband Was a Big Shot? novel Chapter 16

"Not every single day, just when I had the time," Sloane replied, her mood already spiraling downward as dark childhood memories fought their way to the surface.

Logan quietly observed her while he ate.

Despite her cool, detached exterior, she was terrible at masking her true emotions.

Feigning casual curiosity, he asked, "How did you manage to get off shift so early today?"

Sloane forced a painfully tight smile. "Nothing was going on, so I just headed out."

"Nothing going on at a major hospital?" Logan pressed lightly. "I thought the medical field was a brutal grind right now."

He didn't miss the flash of absolute helpless frustration that flickered across her eyes.

"Just drop it. Let's just eat."

Logan respected her boundary, finishing his meal in silence.

It wasn't until he was clearing the empty plates that he finally spoke again. "Sloane, I know we were thrust together by a government mandate, but we are legally married. If something is weighing on you, you can tell me. I might not be able to fix it, but I can at least try to understand."

Sloane hesitated, caught off guard.

In just two days, she had quickly realized Logan was incredibly perceptive; very few of her internal struggles actually slipped past him.

If she bottled it up forever, it would only breed tension.

In the long run, that was toxic for any marriage.

Taking a steadying breath, she confessed. "It's a work thing. There's a massive, high-stakes surgery coming up. I was on the core team, but they cut me today."

"Oh? Any specific reason why?"

Sloane didn't want to get into the gritty details. "Probably just decided I didn't have enough experience."

But Logan wasn't buying it. "How could it be a lack of experience? You're a dual-board certified prodigy."

"Fine..." Sloane sighed, dropping the pretense entirely. "The Director's son has been relentlessly hitting on me. I rejected him, so he blackmailed his dad into pulling me off the roster."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"It is what it is. I'll just wait for the next big case. Like you said, I have the skills. My time will come."

Logan studied her forced apathy, his gaze shifting as his band vibrated with a new alert.

[A harmonious marriage requires both partners to be happy! Your spouse is feeling down, which is a massive red flag for marital stability. Be sure to comfort her! You can do this!]

This was a problem he was definitely going to solve.

*

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify