The bustling hallways of Pretty Hospital echoed with the soft hum of conversation as Tracey made her way toward the cardiac surgery department. Her hazel eyes scanned the sea of scrubs and lab coats, searching for any familiar face in the crowd. As she turned a corner, her heart skipped a beat when she saw him—Daniel Michaels, the renowned cardiac surgeon she thought she'd left behind in her college years. She paused in her tracks, watching as he made his way toward her, a confident stride in his step.

"Dr. Michaels," Tracey greeted, offering a tentative smile as he approached. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Ah, Tracey Aurora, isn't it?" Daniel flashed a charming smile, his blue eyes twinkling with recognition. "It's good to have you here at Pretty Hospital. Follow me, I'll be assigning you to your first patient for today."

Following Daniel through the maze of corridors, Tracey couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. Working alongside a skilled surgeon like Dr. Michaels was a dream come true for her. As they reached the patient's room, she was introduced to a teenage boy in need of cardiac surgery.

The surgery went smoothly, with Daniel guiding Tracey through each step with expertise and patience. As they finished, he turned to her with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Tracey. You did great."

Panting slightly from the intensity of the operation, Tracey's mind drifted back to their encounter at college and the night they had spent together. Now, standing beside Daniel in the sterile surgical room, she couldn't shake the memory of those fleeting moments.

"Dr. Michaels," she began, her voice slightly hesitant. "Do you… remember me from a few years back?"

Daniel paused, his eyes meeting hers with a discerning look. After a moment, he offered a nod. "Yes, I remember you. You were quite memorable, Tracey."

Without warning, Daniel closed the distance between them and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Startled by the sudden display of affection, Tracey's initial shock melted into a reciprocated fervor.

As the kiss deepened, sparks ignited in the air around them. But just as quickly as it had begun, Tracey felt a surge of anger and betrayal. Pulling away, she delivered a resounding slap across Daniel's cheek.

"You never called me back," she accused, her voice trembling with raw emotion. "After that night, you just disappeared."

Daniel's expression softened as he reached out to touch her cheek, the ghost of her slap still lingering on his skin. "Tracey, you were a student back then. I never imagined…"

"You never imagined I would be pregnant with your child," she interrupted, her voice cracking with the weight of her revelation. "I have a little girl, Daniel. She's two years old."

The air seemed to crackle with tension as Daniel's eyes widened in shock. "A little girl…?" he echoed, his voice barely above a whisper. "I… I didn't know."

Tracey's chest heaved with emotion, the weight of the past crashing down on her. She had kept their daughter a secret, the fear of judgment and abandonment clouding her every decision.

"I couldn't… I couldn't bring myself to tell you," she confessed, her voice trembling. "I never thought I'd see you again, and I didn't want to burden you with the responsibility."

Daniel's gaze softened, a mixture of disbelief and regret swirling in the depths of his blue eyes. "I understand why you kept it from me, Tracey. But now that I know, I want to be a part of her life. I want to make things right."

Tears glistened in Tracey's eyes as she struggled to comprehend the sudden shift in their dynamic. She had expected anger, blame, and disbelief, but the unexpected tenderness in Daniel's voice left her feeling vulnerable and exposed.

"It's not just about making things right, Daniel," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's about being there, being a father to her. Can you do that?"

Daniel nodded, his expression resolute and sincere. "I promise, Tracey. I want to be there for her, for both of you."

The weight of his words hung in the air, weaving a fragile thread of hope between them. Yet, Tracey couldn't shake the uncertainty that lingered in the depths of her heart. The wounds of the past ran deep, and she couldn't afford to let herself be hurt again.

As they stood in the stark hospital room, the echoes of their conversation faded into the background, drowned out by the steady rhythm of the heart monitor and the distant sounds of the bustling hospital corridors.

A delicate tremor ran through Tracey's body as she grappled with the whirlwind of emotions that engulfed her. The knowledge that Daniel had a twin brother—a brother who was a patient at the very hospital where they stood—loomed over her like a storm on the horizon.

Unbeknownst to her, fate had already begun to weave its intricate web, intertwining the lives of Tracey, Daniel, and a man named Patrick Michaels in a way they could never have anticipated.