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Chapter 1
Clang!
Matthew silently dropped the scalpel.
He tossed his gloves into the trash bin.
"I can't do this surgery. Get Daniel Clark."
It had been twenty minutes since Emily Davis's accident, and my steady, calm husband finally showed his weakness.
He urgently halted my surgery and began "disarming" with his back to everyone, feigning composure.
But his slightly trembling hands betrayed him.
With Emily in trouble, he was worried sick.
He couldn't wait to fly to her side.
"Dr. Cole, your wife's heart rate is high. She's very nervous."
"Are you sure you want to leave now?"
A sharp pain spread through my chest.
I calmly told the nurse, "It's fine. Anyone can do the surgery."
Everyone in the operating room looked at me with sympathy.
I just smiled.
The day Emily returned, I knew my marriage to Matthew was over.
To ask Matthew to abandon a dying Emily for my surgery...
He couldn't accept it.
And I didn't want to put my life in the hands of such a person.
The operating room door slid open silently.
A tall figure wearing a mask walked in.
It was Matthew's colleague, Daniel Clark.
He wore an immaculate white doctor's uniform, broad-shouldered with a slim waist and long legs. His deep-set eyes, hidden above the medical mask, flashed with a keen, sharp gaze in those narrow, upturned eyes.
As they passed each other, Matthew said, "Jo's surgery, I'll trouble you with it."
"If I don't go now, I might regret it for life."
Hearing his words, my tears fell silently.
How embarrassing, Jo.
It's just being abandoned again, why are you crying?
Suddenly, a shadow fell over me.
A cold scalpel touched my skin.
The usually aloof and taciturn Dr. Clark spoke softly:
"Why cry? With me here, you won't die."
My anxious heart settled at these words. Daniel's gentle presence gradually swept away my unease and agitation as his breath tickled my ear. His hand lightly brushed my skin, leaving a trail of warmth. I closed my eyes, quietly waiting for the surgery to begin.
Chapter 2
The surgery lasted two hours.
By the time it was over, it was already evening.
Heavy rain had started outside.
I opened my eyes to find the room lit by a soft, yellow glow. Daniel was sitting by the bed, intently reading a medical textbook. Hearing movement, he looked up at me.
'You're awake? How do you feel?' His voice was gentle and concerned.
I tried moving my body, feeling weak but otherwise fine. "Much better, thank you for staying with me."
Daniel put down the book and sat on the edge of the bed. "Don't mention it. Your condition was unstable, I couldn't leave you alone." He reached out and gently caressed my cheek. "Rest well, I'll be going now."
The warm touch of skin contact quickened my breath, seemingly easing the pain of abandonment in my heart.
When Matthew's call came through, the anesthesia had just worn off, and I was in a cold sweat from the pain.
Answering the phone, a lively, coquettish female voice came through:
"I'm so sorry, sister-in-law. I don't know how his buddy passed on the message, but it was just a minor scrape. Yet Matthew rushed over without thinking."
"I've already scolded him."
Then, her coquettish voice continued on the other end:
"A man in his thirties, still so impulsive!"
"Did you think we were still dating?"
"There's one bubble tea left, bring it to your sister-in-law as an apology!"
There was a rustling sound from the other end, as if Matthew had taken the phone.
"How many times have I told you, stay put if you don't want the wound to fester."
"She just had surgery, she can't drink bubble tea."
"It's all for you anyway."
Everything seemed harmonious on the other end, only Matthew's friend sounded extremely aggrieved.
"I just said you had a car accident, and he hung up in a panic."
"How is that my fault?"
"Don't drag me into your lovey-dovey stuff."
Suddenly, the pain from my wound became nauseating.
My chest felt tight with pressure. She was gloating like a victor.
The words asking Matthew to prescribe painkillers died in my throat.
I hung up the phone without a word.
A nurse pushed open the door, handed me a pill, and said with a smile:
"Here, Dr. Clark prescribed this painkiller for you."
"Take it and get some sleep soon."
I hadn't expected that in the end, it would be Daniel Clark who prescribed painkillers for me. Taking the pill from the nurse, I looked down at the small white tablet in my hand. Thinking of Daniel's serious, focused face, a warmth unexpectedly welled up in my heart.
I put the pill in my mouth and swallowed it with water from the cup. A bitter taste spread on my tongue. I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes, letting my body slowly relax. Although he usually looked stern and even somewhat cold and aloof, he was actually a very gentle and attentive person.
Chapter 3
Due to work commitments, I was discharged from the hospital after only three days.
As I walked out of the hospital's main entrance, Matthew Cole's car was parked outside.
I instinctively opened the passenger door.
A soft, startled gasp reached my ears.
Only then did I notice Emily Davis retracting her body from the driver's seat.
Emily hurriedly adjusted her disheveled collar, her fair, slender neck still bearing traces of Matthew's kisses. Her eyes held a mix of defiance and shyness, her rosy lips slightly parted, as if silently conveying something.
"I'm so sorry, sister-in-law, I didn't mean to—" she stammered, looking on the verge of tears.
I stood awkwardly by the car door, at a loss. The intimate scene before me was too shocking, making my heart race and my body tremble.
Matthew removed a strand of hair tangled around his watch. His tone was cold and reprimanding. "What nonsense are you talking? Don't make your sister-in-law misunderstand."
He then explained to me, "Her hair got caught on my watch when she was picking something up."
I knew Matthew wasn't lying to me. He had always been straightforward.
Before we married, Matthew had clearly told me, "I've had a relationship before, but after marriage, I'll remain faithful to you."
But sometimes, that line could become blurred. Becoming a breeding ground for ambiguity. Like now.
Suppressing the bitterness in my heart, I said, "Matthew, let's talk. I don't want anyone else present."
Perhaps my emotions made Emily feel uneasy. She bit her lip. "Matthew, I think I'll just take a cab home. Your wife seems upset."
Matthew remained calm and collected. "Can you walk on your own?"
Emily's face turned an even deeper shade of red as she lowered her head and bit her lip. "I'll try my best..."
But she didn't get up immediately, instead sitting there waiting. Even Matthew looked over at me. His eyes were calm and deep, no different from usual. But somehow I knew that Matthew wanted me to say something. Preferably something gracious and understanding.
But I didn't want to suffer such humiliation. I stepped away from the door and said to Emily, "Get out. There are plenty of taxis at the corner."
Emily froze, then left with tears in her eyes.
I sat down in the seat she had occupied. The atmosphere in the car was suffocating.
After a while, Matthew finally spoke gently: "There's no need to take out your anger on her because I left. You know, the ER called, I was just doing a normal consultation. I would have left for anyone in that situation."
I didn't have the energy to argue about what was really going through his mind at that moment. The image of Emily's flushed face and disheveled clothes was still vivid, especially the glaring kiss marks on her exposed skin... All of these screamed how intimate their encounter had just been... I just felt exhausted.
"Matthew, let's get a divorce."
Matthew slammed on the brakes, causing things to scatter all over the car. He frowned slightly. "Joanna, why are you doing this? Is it because of Emily?"
Fighting the dull pain in my wound, I said, "Yes, it's because of Emily."
At that moment, a cry of pain suddenly came from outside the window. Accompanied by a car horn, Emily had fallen at the street corner. In the most conspicuous spot, clearly visible from where we were.
I looked at the crowd gathering outside the window and laughed sarcastically. "Your Emily has fallen. Don't you want to check on her?"
Matthew exuded a cold aura as he restarted the car. "You're talking about divorcing me. How could I care about an outsider right now?"
The drive home was frigid with tension.
When we got home, Muffin came over and meowed at us both. This was the cat Matthew had given me the year we got married. Usually, Muffin liked to sleep between Matthew and me.
Matthew stared at Muffin for a while, then bent down to pick him up, his tone resigned. "Muffin, Mom and Dad are fighting. Can you ask Mom to forgive Dad, please?"
Muffin meowed knowingly and looked at me. This was how Matthew would coax me every time we fought. He knew I would soften at the sight of Muffin. But this time, I pressed my lips together and said nothing.
Matthew took the initiative to speak. "Did you take the painkillers I asked Daniel to prescribe for you on time?"
"You asked him to prescribe them?"
Matthew raised an eyebrow slightly. "Who else? Did you think I didn't care about you anymore?"
Matthew leaned in to kiss me, his long fingers cupping my face, his cool fingertips sending tingles through my skin.
Matthew's lips met mine in a gentle, lingering kiss. His tongue parted my slightly open lips, sliding into my mouth to intertwine with my own. One arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me tightly against his warm, solid chest. His other hand slowly trailed from the nape of my neck down to my shoulder, his long fingers caressing my smooth, delicate skin.
Everywhere his fingertips touched left a trail of tingling, electric sensations. We fell onto the soft bed, still locked in an embrace. Matthew's body covered mine completely, enveloping me in his scent. His hot breath on my neck sent shivers of desire through me as he said, "Joanna, I'm not foolish enough to destroy our marriage."
Lost in thought, I heard his gentle whisper in my ear: "Be good, no divorce, okay?"
Not okay.
Not okay at all.
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