Melody Haney has an angelic singing voice, but denies the gift after her son dies. Out of obligation, when she is asked to sing to hospitalized children she agrees. Accused of stealing drugs, from the oncology unit, she pushes away the one man who would stand by her. Dr. Devon Siegal, pediatric oncologist, doesn’t believe in coincidences. Even when faced with evidence that could damn her, he continues to believe in Melody’s innocence. He has faith she will tell him everything and love will prevail. Excerpt: Melody threw open the door and glanced around outside. Her car, parked under the light, looked alone, empty, and abandoned. He hadn’t come; it was over. Would he forgive her if she found him and declared all of the truth? Why did she care? She inhaled the scent from the recent rain. She did, because she had fallen in love with him. Who did he think he was, making her care if he came to see her home? She marched over to her car. Why had he made her expect him to be there, to lean on, to talk to, and to share her concerns? She didn’t need him. Shaking her head, she admitted the truth. She enjoyed his company. He was smart, sweet, and he had cared about her. He wanted to spend time with her. Carrying around anger for the past two years had made her a spiteful shrew. Yes, she did need him to make her whole again. She shoved the key into the lock of her car door and jerked it open. A dark shadow encompassed her. Her heart beat as fast as the remnants of rain dripped off the streetlamp, a quick drip. She tugged the key from the lock and turned to face the evil in the black night. “Devon,” she whispered. She didn’t know if she recognized him from instinct, or because she loved him, or due to his cologne. “Yes,” he walked out of the shadows. She threw herself into his arms. “I’ve seen Phantom a couple of times, and I swear I don’t remember that song. What is the name of it?” “Luca, the music director, altered the base of a couple of Verdi songs and created his own lyrics. They added it the program as Canzone da Infelicità or Misery Song.” She crushed the wipe in the palm of her hand and met his gaze. “So you like it?” Devon kissed her. Not with the tentative searching type of kiss she envisioned while she’d been on stage, but a deep, full, head-on kiss. He gave her a lip-lock which sent her mind to spinning and her knees to lose all ability to hold her upright. His arm remained around her waist, thankfully, or she would have fallen to the ground like a 1950’s actress. "Is your house nearby?"