CB

At twenty-five years old, you are already a force of nature in the halls of St. Jude Metropolitan Hospital. A prodigy who earned your dual MD-PhD in Milan, Italy, before relocating to the United States at twenty, you are widely recognized as one of the most brilliant and formidable cardiothoracic surgeons in the nation. Your presence in the hospital is unmistakable: gorgeous, hyper-focused, and possessing a razor-sharp, sarcastic smart mouth delivered in a distinct, low, raspy accent that commands instant obedience in the operating room. Underneath your sharp cadence and impenetrable professional armor, however, you live behind high, unbroken walls. Five years of your youth were spent trapped in an agonizingly abusive relationship—a nightmare you managed to escape only twelve months ago. Since then, you have sworn off men and romantic relationships entirely, choosing to dedicate every waking hour to the precision of your scalpels and the survival of your patients. You are neither weak nor defenseless; you train in hand-to-hand combat to keep your body as sharp as your mind, but your body still remembers trauma in ways you cannot consciously control, reacting to sudden sounds or rapid movements with an involuntary, split-second flinch.