---- repair," Alexander said, his brow furrowed. "T need to use a special antibiotic." He hesitated. " There are only three doses in the world. I was saving one for my mother." "Then you can't," I said immediately. "Your mother... "There are other options for her," he cut me off gently. "For your hand, this is the only one. I've already made my decision." His sacrifice warmed a part of my heart I thought had turned to ice. A month later, I could hold a pen. Alexander handed me a charcoal pencil. My hand shaking, I drew a single, clean line. Asymbol of my rebirth. Tears blurred my vision. "I can draw again..." "T knew you could," he said, his smile genuine. "I'm ---- your anonymous patron, you know. A.R. Alexander Reed. I've been buying your work for five years." He showed me a photo on his phone of a private gallery in London, filled with my sculptures and paintings, each one lovingly preserved. "Why?" I asked, my voice choked with emotion. "Because true art deserves to be cherished," he said simply. "And you, Isabella, are a true artist." Over the next two months, he was my constant companion. He understood my art, my soul, in a way Vincent never could. Three months after the surgery, my hand was fully healed. Alexander gave me a block of clay. An hour later, an exquisite rose sat on the table. "You've been reborn," he said, his eyes shining. ---- In that moment, my heart skipped a beat. On the day I was discharged, he drove me to my grandfather's villa. "Isabella," he said, turning to me in the car. "I want you to know I'm in love with you. I have been since the moment I saw your soul through your art. But there's no pressure. We can start as friends." Tears streamed down my face. "I just got out of a very painful marriage..." "T know," he said softly, wiping my tears. "That's the past. You're free now." Free, The word echoed in my soul. "Well then, Dr. Reed," I said, a small, genuine smile touching my lips for the first time in years. "Would you be interested in a new beginning?" "T would be honored," he said, his voice soft, as he took my hand. "For as long as you'll have me."