He left with a goodbye.
I learned how to live without him.
Now we’re in the same town—and the past is wide awake.
Alaric
Liz Ward is the woman I loved.
She’s also the woman I walked away from.
I told myself leaving was the right choice. That going back to Paradise meant being there for my family.
I convinced myself she’d move on.
She didn’t.
Neither did I.
Now Liz is here in Paradise—she’s brilliant, capable, and here for the job she’s earned.
And someone in Paradise is making sure she doesn’t get to keep either.
The sabotage starts quietly. Easy to dismiss.
I don’t dismiss it.
Because I know her. I know when something’s wrong. And I know this is my fault as much as anyone’s.
I lost her once by choosing absence.
This time, I choose her.
Liz
Alaric Dempsey broke my heart with a goodbye and no explanation.
I thought Vancouver was forever.
Then my brother moved. My best friend followed. My parents chased the sun to Mexico. When the perfect job opened up in Paradise, I took it.
A clean start.
Or so I thought.
The job turns hostile fast. Files disappear. Mistakes pile up. Someone wants me gone—and the last person I want watching it happen is Alaric.
He’s still calm. Still controlled. Still looking at me like I never stopped mattering.
A business trip to Hawaii and one hotel room makes it impossible to pretend I’m over him.
His family drama makes it impossible to keep things simple. And the man who once left is suddenly the one standing between me and the fallout.
I survived being abandoned once.
If I let him back in, I need to know he’s not leaving again.
What you can expect from Dr. Dempsey
I learned how to live without him.
Now we’re in the same town—and the past is wide awake.
Alaric
Liz Ward is the woman I loved.
She’s also the woman I walked away from.
I told myself leaving was the right choice. That going back to Paradise meant being there for my family.
I convinced myself she’d move on.
She didn’t.
Neither did I.
Now Liz is here in Paradise—she’s brilliant, capable, and here for the job she’s earned.
And someone in Paradise is making sure she doesn’t get to keep either.
The sabotage starts quietly. Easy to dismiss.
I don’t dismiss it.
Because I know her. I know when something’s wrong. And I know this is my fault as much as anyone’s.
I lost her once by choosing absence.
This time, I choose her.
Liz
Alaric Dempsey broke my heart with a goodbye and no explanation.
I thought Vancouver was forever.
Then my brother moved. My best friend followed. My parents chased the sun to Mexico. When the perfect job opened up in Paradise, I took it.
A clean start.
Or so I thought.
The job turns hostile fast. Files disappear. Mistakes pile up. Someone wants me gone—and the last person I want watching it happen is Alaric.
He’s still calm. Still controlled. Still looking at me like I never stopped mattering.
A business trip to Hawaii and one hotel room makes it impossible to pretend I’m over him.
His family drama makes it impossible to keep things simple. And the man who once left is suddenly the one standing between me and the fallout.
I survived being abandoned once.
If I let him back in, I need to know he’s not leaving again.
What you can expect from Dr. Dempsey
- second-chance romance
forced proximity
‘he’s always loved her’
dream job / career woman
workplace sabotage
small-town pressure
heavy family drama
protective hero with regret
slow burn with high heat
Genre: Romance
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