"I hope you like Italian," Dr Shaw told her as they followed the waitress to their table.

The restaurant he chose was simple and authentic and inevitably reminded Lora of Rome. It was the one place she'd ever been to abroad. Jonathan had surprised her with tickets for their honeymoon the day after their wedding claiming that he wanted to take her to the most romantic city in the world.

I thought that was Paris, she'd told him, enamoured by the sweet gesture. Jona may have been crude but he was nothing if not romantic when he wanted to be.

Paris is overrated, was his reply.

She didn't know anything about Paris but she fell in love with Rome as soon as she stepped off the plane.

She didn't understand a word of Italian except for a few rude words Jona had taught her. She blushed and swatted him on the arm and he laughed at her.

You're too innocent for this world, Lora, he told her. He told her that many times. She wondered what he'd say if he saw her now.

"Everybody likes Italian," she answered bringing herself back to the present, smiling at the open kitchen where the chef was firing orders at the bustling staff.

They ordered pasta. Dr Shaw requested a bottle of wine to go with it. Lora gave him a small smile and told herself there was nothing wrong with that. They weren't doing anything wrong. Just two friends sharing a meal and a bottle of wine after a hard day's work. Cara did it all the time. She herself could never do such a thing before because she didn't have any friends. She had her family and that was enough.

Her eyes skimmed around the place again, checking if anybody was looking at them strangely, or if there was anyone who might recognise her. It was a weeknight but the place was almost full.

"Dr Brandon came to speak to me earlier," Lora said as she twirled the wine glass elegantly and took a sip. It was lovely. A nice, rich cabernet. "She said they will try to wake Jonathan over the next few days."

Dr Shaw answered with a slow nod. Lora couldn't shake the feeling that he had something on his mind. "Yes, she phoned to see if there was a bed available in my ward."

The hospital was a busy place. She hadn't considered that Jona might not go back to the Neurosurgical Ward after the ICU.

"Oh. He does though, right?"

Amusement danced in his green eyes as he lifted them to hers. "Of course, he does. We kept his bed reserved for him."

"Thank God!" Lora sighed in relief.

Dr Shaw chuckled softly. "Thank Mike and Cara. They would have chopped me into pieces if I admitted someone else into that bed."

She wanted to laugh but reprimanded herself just in time. "And who should I thank for having people like Mike and Cara in my life?"

"Karma," he replied promptly flashing his lopsided smile.

"You sound like Mike!" Lora fired back, ignoring the sudden increase in her heart rate.

"Mike is a very reasonable man."

"Yes. Except when it comes to religion and politics."

His contagious laugh was in her ears again. He leaned over and poured her another glass of wine. She didn't even realise she drank the first one. She felt calmer, more relaxed. Something about the easy banter between them made her feel light.

"I'm just messing with you," the doctor went on smoothly. "If Karma existed, my ex-wife would not be living in a luxury penthouse with my ex-best friend, would she?"

Lora couldn't hold back the gasp that escaped her mouth. "You're married?"

She wasn't sure why she was surprised. He was undeniably handsome and smart and he was a neurosurgeon. And yet, she felt he was too young to be married, even though she knew he was around the same age as her. She was married and had two kids of her own but that didn't help ease the newly acquired gnawing in her chest.

Dr Shaw's smile faltered a little as he raised his glass to his lips and took a long swig. "Separated."

"I'm sorry," Lora mumbled uncomfortably.

"I am too. But it's for the best. We weren't in love anymore, if we were even in love to begin with."

Lora tried giving him a sympathetic smile but the woman couldn't suppress her opinion if her life depended on it. "Marriage is not just about love. It's a lot of sacrifice. So many people get married with the idea of love, which is great, I guess. But it's not the only thing that makes a marriage work."

Dr Shaw gave her his usual calculating look, the one where he made her feel like a mathematical problem he just had to solve. "But you can't really be with someone for the rest of your life if you're not in love with them. Or if you know for certain that they don't love you back."

"Well, it's not ideal," she argued, taking another swig. "But people have a tendency to over-romanticise things and, in the process, they lose sight of what's important."

Lora could tell he was analysing her every word, every movement. She felt self-conscious. She pushed her hair neatly behind her ears again.

"So, you're saying," he started carefully, fingers wrapped around the stem of his wine glass, "that you are okay with spending the rest of your life with someone, literally bound to them by law, in a loveless contract?"

"First of all, marriage is more than just a contract, it's a union, a pact. And what I'm saying is that there are other reasons that can keep two people together other than romantic love."

"Like what?" he blurted out.

Lora looked directly into his green eyes. They were completely focused on her, but there was no judgement in them. Just pure interest and a hint of disbelief. "Like mutual respect. Familial duties. Children! Two people can complement each other in many ways. It just takes a lot of sacrifices."

Lora's voice faltered a little and while she held his gaze, she was suddenly terrified, knowing exactly what he will ask next.

"Is that what you have? With Jonathan?"

It felt like her heart was fired through a slingshot. "Y- Yes," she stammered. "Amongst other things. I'm sure you've already deduced that Jonathan was married before."

Dr Shaw nodded carefully, eyes not leaving Lora's face. "Cara and Mike also mentioned something."

Lora wasn't surprised or angry. She knew the culture of the Neurosurgical staff. They talked. She was an insider and she had a lot of material that was up for discussion. She also knew Cara and Mike would never say anything bad about her.

"Did they tell you who Jonathan's first wife was?"

Dr Shaw became perfectly still before shaking his head slightly. Now, this surprised Lora very much and she could not help rolling her eyes.

"Jonathan was married to my sister, Hannah. She passed away a few years ago. Suicide."

She saw something shatter inside him. His face fell and his posture slumped momentarily before he leaned forward on the table and took Lora's hands in his, green eyes peering straight into her soul. "I'm sorry. I know how hard that is."

Lora blinked a few times to stop the tears from pooling in her eyes. "It's okay," she lied. "I used to go to Jonathan's every day to help him with the house and with Jess and Krista because they were so young. They were broken. So were we. Lines got blurred and after a couple of months, we decided to get married. It worked out well for everyone."

Dr Shaw stared at her for the longest time. Lora could tell she sent his mind into overdrive. She thought he wouldn't understand. She began to feel bad for telling him all this.

The food arrived, reminding her where they were. Her eyes dropped to their hands, still entwined on the surface of the table. They quickly let go of each other, palms falling to their laps, making room for the waiter to place their plates in front of them. The waiter left but they didn't move.

After another tense moment, Dr Shaw let out a short laugh and said, "You, Lora Scicluna, are something else. I have never met anyone quite like you."

Lora laughed in relief. They turned to their plates and started to eat. She didn't tell him that her breath hitched a little at his compliment. He didn't tell her that he disagreed with her completely.