The One

The One Copyright © 2023 Audrey J. Cole All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, transmitted, or distributed in printed or electronic form without the written permission of the author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Cover by Rainier Book Design RainierBookDesign.com Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Epilogue Also By Audrey J. Cole Acknowledgments Want More? About the Author Chapter 1 Sloane glances at the closed double doors of her home office as The One loads on her phone. She’s still wearing her scrubs, having been too tired to change when she got home from the hospital. At forty-two, she’s never used a dating app before. It feels weird, and not just because she’s married. She feels a tingle of apprehension as she taps the JOIN NOW button beneath The One’s bold logo. Beneath it, in red, is their slogan: Real connections. Lasting love. Evelyn assured her after they finished stabilizing a gunshot victim earlier that night that The One wasn’t like other dating apps. Her profile wouldn’t be public and would only be seen by someone the data-driven app found as a potential. “You just put in your age, gender, interests, and what you’re looking for in a partner,” Evelyn said, as Sloane washed her hands outside one of the ER’s treatment rooms. “Then you take a short compatibility test. The app does everything else.” Sloane had heard of the app before, which was well-known for its success in using artificial intelligence to seemingly form real connections and long-lasting relationships. But she never thought she’d be using it. Then again, she also never thought Ethan would betray her. “So, there’s no photos?” Sloane stepped aside to make room for a trauma patient being transported to the OR. Evelyn shook her head. “Not until The One finds your potentials. Then, after seeing their basic info, you can choose to message them and send a photo if you want. Or request one.” Sloane tossed a paper towel into the trash. “Sounds exhausting.” “Just think about it. It could be worth it, you know. It’s how I met Ming.” "I took a few classes with Brody Carr in college. He was a premed major before he dropped out.” Evelyn’s eyes widened. "You did?" "We were chemistry lab partners for half a semester. He was really quiet and kind of a nerd. Not whom I would’ve expected to go on to create a billion-dollar dating app." Evelyn raised her eyebrows. "Well, he doesn't seem nerdy now.” Outside, rain drums against the window behind where Sloane now sits in her favorite overstuffed chair. She pauses before answering the last question on the app’s compatibility test. How do you feel when you realize the person you are with is not the one for you? I feel shattered, she thinks as she stares at the multiple-choice options. But it’s not one of the answers. For lack of a better option, she selects I feel disappointed and clicks SUBMIT. Hearts dance across the screen as the app searches for potentials. “Hey.” Sloane jumps. Ethan stands in the doorway. She hates the feeling that she still gets when she sees him. That she still loves him, even after what he did. “Sorry,” he says, “I thought you heard me come in.” She presses her phone screen against her thigh, chiding herself for feeling guilty after what Ethan did. “I guess I didn’t.” They hold each other’s gaze in silence for a moment before Ethan speaks. “What time is our appointment tomorrow?" “Ten.” “Okay. I’ll be in the guest room if you need me.” He pauses, as if waiting for her to respond. “Good night,” he finally says. She waits until the door closes behind him before lifting her phone. You have 5 potentials in your vicinity. Below the message, a button flashes: VIEW POTENTIALS. She taps her fingers against the armrest. What am I doing? Before she has time to change her mind, she closes out of the app and deletes it off her phone. A dating app isn’t going to solve her marital problems. Hopefully, their couples counseling would. After setting down her phone, she stares at the closed office doors. She bites her lip and grabs her phone from the armrest. She casts another glance at the closed doors before typing Brody Carr into the Internet search bar on her home screen. “It was a stupid mistake. I wish—” Ethan’s voice breaks, and Sloane turns her head to avoid his gaze, facing their marriage counselor, instead. “I wish more than anything,” he chokes, “that I could take it back.” Sloane tugs at the hem of her leather pencil skirt and shifts in the uncomfortable velvet chair. Am I supposed to pity him? Feel empathy for the guilt he feels after sleeping with his homicide partner? A burst of anger wells in her chest. They were supposed to be at the mountain lodge in the Cascades that she had booked for them, trying to get pregnant. Not here, listening to him recount how he slept with his partner during a weak moment following his father’s death. How could he have done this to me? To us? Their