PROLOGUE
𖡡 new york, new york
ALLISON LOOKED DOWN at the three tests on the counter.
"Fuck," she muttered, eyes wide with shock. The tests read positive. It was horrible to say, but she didn't want this. She was about to be an intern. You couldn't be a pregnant intern, people would judge. And they would judge hard.
She knew Mark wasn't ready for any commitments like this too. They weren't even married yet, they'd been engaged for two months and hadn't planned a single thing for their ceremony.
Broken out of the panicked trance by the ringing of a phone, Allison left the tests there.
She stumbled out of the bathroom to the living room, grabbing the phone, and answering. She sat comfortably on their ugly, but comfortable futon couch. She swiped her blonde hair out of the way of her ears so she could hear better.
"Hey, Allison," Derek sighed into the phone. His voice sounded strained for some reason, as if he'd been yelling.
"What's up, Der?" She asked, brows furrowing with concern for her brother's tone of voice.
"Sit down," Derek instructed. She had a worried look in her eyes as she stared at the burning fireplace. "I caught Addie and Mark together in bed. I kicked her out."
The phone stayed in her hands, but they were trembling profusely. Her vision was blurred by the tears welling up in her eyes.
She chucked the phone on the ground and slipped off the diamond engagement ring. And then threw the engagement ring on the floor angrily. Mark Sloan, the love of her life, was a fucking lying traitor.
The newly pregnant blonde woman was sad, pissed off, and hormonal. She wanted to punch the wall and cry. She needed to cry.
At this point, she was hyperventilating, but grabbed the phone off the ground, which was echoing the name Alli? She managed to push words out, her voice breaking, "Are you serious?"
Derek felt his heart break, hearing his favorite sister this distraught, struggling to breathe because of her shocked state. "I'm serious, Alli. I'm so sorry."
"I'm sorry too," she muttered through a quiet sob, tears rapidly leaving her hazel eyes uncontrollably.
She imagined her entire life, hell, she had an entire life with this man already and it was all gone within a split second.
"I'm going to Seattle. I know you wanted to do your internship there since you were a kid," he explained. "Head of Neurosurgery. Wanna come with me?"
"You know I will," she slightly smiled, happy for her brother getting out of his failing relationship with Addison. But the tears were still falling down her ghostly pale face. "Are you gonna file for divorce?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe it'll work out in time." The blonde knew that it was a lie. Derek, blinded by false hope, did too. They were already having problems, this was just the breaking point.
She let out a shaky breath, finally calming herself down. "I can't do my internship here. There's no way I can be professional around him. I think I might punch him the next time I see him," she said. You'd think she was joking, but boy, was she serious.
"I wanted to punch him so bad. He's a plastic surgeon, he can fix his own face," he stated. "I'm proud of you, you know that. No matter what and I want you in my neuro program," he smiled through the phone and she could hear it in his voice.
"Thank you. I gotta send them an email now," she told him. "Stay safe, and no matter how pissed off you are, don't do anything stupid! Unless you want to punch Mark, by all means, go ahead."
"I will, I will," he scoffed. "Love you," her black-haired brother said before hanging up, and reality dawned on her.
She curled up in a ball, on that ugly futon couch, gifted to the couple by the head bitch, Addison, and just cried. For at least an hour, she sat still and let the tears flow down her face, her mascara smudging all over her face as she tried to wipe them away.
She remembered what she needed to do. She sighed deeply and forced herself to get up, realizing her current situation, and grabbed her computer to email Seattle Grace hospital. There was no turning back.
An hour later, still no sign of Mark, giving her time to pack her all her things. She booked a cheap hotel for the night. This was all Mark's money, she was just in medical school. She booked her flight out of here tomorrow.
She walked into their bedroom, with their bed, covered with their favorite comforter. Nothing was Addison's, but she still took Mark from the young woman.
She grabbed her suitcase and packed up her favorite pieces of clothings and shoes. Maybe she would get the rest of her clothing in a couple weeks, but she'd need new maternity clothes anyway.
Then to the bathroom, where the pregnancy tests were still lying on the counter, accidentally ignored by the oblivious, teary eyed Shepherd girl. She packed up all her makeup and skincare and hair products.
She looked in the mirror. Her face was red and puffy from crying so much. She wiped the tears with the sleeve of her grey knitted sweater, a spontaneous gift from Mark he'd brought home one day. It was her favorite sweater, but now it wasn't anymore. It just left a bad taste in her mouth.
She knew she couldn't face Mark Sloan again. Her heart would break in two all over again. So she grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, and started writing.
Dear Mark,
I left. I'm not sorry for leaving. You've probably moved onto Addison already and are leaving me in the dust. Derek called and told me what you've done. I never thought you'd stoop so low. You are a lying traitor, Mark. You said you loved me, but went to another woman.
I'm not doing my internship here anymore. I'm going somewhere far from here, don't try and follow me. I need time. Lots of it.
Writing this is breaking my heart again. I love you, I always will, but I just can't be hurt by you again. Have fun with Addison, maybe you can make it last. (The ring is in the living room somewhere.)
Love,
Allison Shepherd
She placed the note on the marble countertop in their kitchen. She grabbed her suitcase and all her bags and left. She didn't look back, no matter how badly she wanted to.
An hour late, Mark stumbled through the apartment door, regret and guilt evident in his blue eyes. The ones that Allison had spent years staring into. You could smell the scotch from his breath.
"Allison? Alli?" He called out for her, hoping to hear her voice. He would get on his knees and apologize profusely until Allison forgave him or he shriveled up and died in that same position.
He saw a random, perfectly placed paper on the counter. Curious, he read it, and then he cried.
His hard exterior finally had broken. He was heartbroken for the first time in his miserable life. Because of a mistake he made. He knew how much he had fucked up. So, he went to their bed, where it still smelled like her and he sobbed quietly. He lied there for hours, staring up at the ceiling because he couldn't fall asleep.
Finally, he cried himself to sleep. Mark walked into the bathroom and he saw the positive tests on the counter. He knew he fucked up really bad.
⭒
author's note
another revival of this book since i'm watching season three right now and feeling inspired and in love with my marky.
― bejeweled