Chapter 7

As Anne stepped out of the ward, she saw Zachery already crouching down.

He probably couldn't take it anymore.

He'd lost a lot of blood last night from the head injury and got himself worked up in anger. After just leaving the hospital, he had rushed over here again, feeling both worried and frustrated. He had been outside of Sophia's ward for most of the night.

Zachery could actually be so devoted and do so much for his love.

How did she not see it before? How had she ever thought she could make him fall for her?

As soon as Zachery saw her, he jumped to his feet and ran a hand through his hair. "How is she doing?"

"Her wrist injury is minor. Looks like she wasn't really serious about dying," Anne said.

"Watch your mouth!" He frowned.

"I'm just being honest."

Zachery glared at her, scoffing. "I agreed to marry you last night. You must've been really excited, huh? Probably woke up early, grabbed your documents, and went straight to the city hall. But I didn't show up. That's why you're so pissed off and talking like that."

Anne silently watched him, amazed by his self-confidence.

"Let's put the marriage on hold for now. We can talk about us once I've handled Sophia's situation," he said.

She sighed. "I told Sophia you proposed to me last night."

"What?" He frowned. "Why would you tell her that? She needs me right now!"

"Why? Are you planning to marry me and keep it a secret from her?"

"Well, I should be the one telling her, not you!"

"Fine. Go tell her, then." Anne turned on her heel and walked away.

One was asking her to marry him, and the other was offering compensation. They really treated her like a complete fool. She was curious to see what kind of tricks they'd pull.

…

Anne spent the morning in the outpatient department. After seeing all her patients, she went to the cafeteria with Mindy.

"News about Sophia's attempt to take her own life leaked online, but it was quickly handled by PR," Mindy whispered to Anne.

"I see."

Sophia was the Weaver family's heiress, and with Zachery's help, the public scandal was easy to suppress.

"Everyone's guessing that she was actually cheating with Sean, and the baby might be his," Mindy continued.

"Oh?"

"But some are saying that Mr. Judd couldn't possibly be a stepfather." Mindy clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Love makes people lose their senses. I actually think it's quite possible."

Anne had spent the whole lunch listening to gossip. She finally learned something new.

Sean's wife was apparently someone Sophia couldn't afford to upset. So, he couldn't possibly divorce her for Sophia.

…

In the afternoon, Anne went to the inpatient department.

While making her rounds, she headed to the VIP ward, where Zachery was quietly peeling an apple. Meanwhile, Sophia was lying in bed, looking pitiful, as if she had a terminal illness.

"Anne, you're here," she said softly when she saw Anne.

Anne walked up to her and asked if she was feeling any discomfort.

"My chest feels tight," Sophia said.

Anne listened with her stethoscope and heard a perfectly normal heartbeat. "I'll arrange for an ECG."

"Okay."

As Anne was about to leave, Sophia stopped her.

"Anne, Zachery and I grew up together. I thought I just liked him as a childhood friend, but these past few days have made me realize that I really do love him."

Anne found this situation hilarious. Zachery was right there, and Sophia was confessing to him through her. She was like a typical, true actress—always playing a role.

Anne crossed her arms and waited for the show to continue.

"I've owed him for so many years. I want to make it up to him. Our marriage will go on as planned. I'm serious this time. I truly want to marry him."

Anne glanced at Zachery, who was still focused on his apple peeling. "Mr. Judd, did you not hear? Aren't you going to respond?"

Zachery looked up and glared at her.

She shrugged and turned back to Sophia. "So?"

Sophia pulled a check out from under her pillow, glanced at Anne, and slid it toward her.

"Zachery doesn't love you, and you should know that. Honestly, you're more like a third wheel between the two of us. Of course, I'll offer you some compensation since you've been with him for eight years. Here's one million dollars."

Anne stared at the check in front of her.

So now she was the third wheel? She'd sold herself for eight years and was being given one million dollars in return?

"Is that not enough?" Zachery spoke up.

Anne looked up at him and saw that he, like Sophia, was adopting an arrogant posture of someone in a position of power.

"No, it's not," she said flatly.

Zachery nodded and pulled a black card from his wallet. "There's another five million dollars in here. Is that enough?"

"No, it's not," she repeated.

"Ha! Anne, do you really think you're worth that much?"

Anne bent down to pick up the check and the black card. Looking at them, she smiled silently for a long moment.

In the end, she tossed the card back and only kept the check.

"This one million dollars isn't compensation. It's a repayment." She looked at Zachery. "In our second year together, you had a falling-out with your family and ran away. You said you were going to start your own business and silence those who had looked down on you.

"But starting a business needs capital. You didn't have money, so I sold the house my parents left me to help you raise one million dollars."

Anne raised the check. "As for the interest on that million dollars, consider it your tip for all the hard work you did in bed."

Zachery's face darkened instantly. "Anne Stafford!"

"But my love was priceless, Zachery. You can't repay it, and you never will."

With that, Anne turned and walked out of the ward with the check. Just as she stepped into the hallway, she saw a man with a hat standing at the door with a phone held up.

She frowned at once.

When the man saw her, he quickly turned and ran.

"Hey! What are you doing?" a nurse shouted at him.

Anne only saw the man's retreating back, and she assumed he was some paparazzi snooping into the lives of celebrities.

But she didn't care. After all, she wasn't a celebrity.

…

Back in the office, Anne excitedly called her real estate agent, Candice Hugh. "Ms. Hugh, I want to buy back the house my parents left me. Can you ask the current owner if they're willing to sell it? I'm willing to pay above market value."

"That house has been vacant for a while. The owner might be willing to sell. Let me check and get back to you," Candice said.

This house was the one her parents had left her. When she saw how defeated Zachery was back then, she'd made the tough decision to sell it. Ever since then, she'd been saving up to buy it back.

She could ask Zachery for the money, but she didn't want to. After all, she had willingly given him that million dollars back then, and she didn't want him to think she was holding it against him.

Zachery knew she sold her parents' house to help him, but after his company took off, he never thought to buy the house back for her.

While she was waiting anxiously, Mindy burst into the office.

"Anne, you're trending online!"

Anne froze for a second and quickly grabbed her phone. She couldn't believe she'd made it to the trending topics.

She opened the trending page. The top video was a clip from earlier when she had taken the check in Sophia's ward.