He picked up the nearby bottle of wine and took a sip. He had always been rational. Rationally, he stayed by Nina’s side, and rationally he maintained their friendship. Even admitting his feelings for her came under the influence of alcohol, using it as a means to express his inner turmoil. But he could not go any further. He knew Nina liked Nash. He did not want to burden her, yet he wanted to give her enough respect. He never had the same courage as Nash. Perhaps only the one being loved could be fearless. He envied Nash, being able to have Nina's love. Scott smiled bitterly, refilling his glass and gulping it down in one go. His phone beside his left hand kept vibrating. He glanced at it sideways, then turned his head. He showed no intention of answering, just continuously drinking in silence.Nina left the restaurant, ready to take a taxi home. There were no empty taxis nearby. Glancing at her phone, she noted that there were over thirty people waiting. It looked like she wo
Nash surveyed the area, which was still smaller than their bedroom. He walked in, noticing that there was only Nina's stuff inside. Nina had always been neat, and the apartment was spotless. The sight of the fluffy bunny-patterned slippers at the door surprised him. He glanced at Nina.Nina felt a bit uncomfortable and quickly put away the slippers. "Have you finished looking?" she asked.Nash glanced at the sofa where they both sat and said in a low voice, "Are you accustomed to living here?""It's alright.""This apartment is so small, and the furniture is incomplete. It's not as good as our home, where we have helpers attending to us. I think you won't be comfortable living here," Nash said, taking her well-being into consideration. "Since this divorce won’t work out anyway, why not just go back home?""Do you even know that I want a divorce from you? I moved out, not because we had a fight and I stormed out!" Nina hoped he would understand, rather than assuming that he could w
Whatever Nash said now, Nina felt it was abnormal. She added, "There's no space here for your things."Nash looked around and immediately opened the closet door, finding a small space inside. He said, "There's room here, I don't mind!" He then commanded, "Quincy!""Yes!"Quincy promptly hung up the clothes.Their movements were swift, as if hesitating for a second would mean losing the spot to someone else.Nina suddenly felt that their relationship had changed, yet remained the same. She hadn't divorced, nor had she severed ties with Nash. On the contrary, he seemed to be infiltrating her life more forcefully.Soon, Quincy finished organizing and left.Seeing Nina silent, Nash asked again, "You didn't eat anything just now. Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"Nina was already full of frustration and couldn't eat anything. "I'm not hungry.""Even if you're not hungry, the baby in your belly needs to eat," Nash said, aware that she was upset.Nina touched her sto
She didn't want to pay any more attention to Nash, ready to leave. Just as she turned, she caught Nash looking at her. He said, "It'll be ready soon. Are you hungry?" Nina halted her steps, facing him squarely. "I only care about when you're leaving," she replied. Nash evaded the question, saying, "We'll eat in ten minutes." Nina saw him turn away, focusing on the dish he was preparing, evidently avoiding addressing her question. Ten minutes later, Nash emerged with a small pot of chicken soup. Placing it on the table, he wiped his hands with a towel and looked at Nina. "Come over, it's ready," he said. Nina observed the chicken soup Nash had meticulously prepared for two hours, sticking to the pregnancy recipe. It appeared as if he had come to terms with the child growing in her belly.Silently, she approached and took a seat opposite him. Nash lifted the lid off the pot, releasing steam infused with the savory scent of meat."Not bad, huh?" he asked, content with his cr
Nash frowned, his tone turning cold again. "Can we please not bring others into our issues?"Nina couldn't help but chuckle. "You didn't mention it was someone else when you were involved with Miranda, did you? Nash, your actions are beyond my comprehension. I've already made things easy for both of you, what more do you want?""Are you talking about these two plane tickets?" Nash pulled out the plane tickets Nina had left behind. She had talked about going to Frangelia with him, yet she had booked tickets for him and Miranda."You didn't go," Nina replied nonchalantly.In front of her, Nash tore up the two tickets and laid them on the table, his cold gaze fixed on her. "You think you're making things easy for me, but you're only making things easy for yourself, aren't you?" He looked around the small apartment she had described as "small but complete," his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Nina, what exactly do you gain from this? You're living in this tiny apartment and stuck with a
After speaking, Nina rushed into the bedroom and closed the door, shutting out the noise from outside. The living room was now silent. Nash sat in the chair, unable to regain his composure for a long time.He couldn't understand Nina, why she wanted to keep this child. What was it about that man that she liked?That man didn't know she was pregnant, didn't know she was living in this tiny apartment, and had never cared about her. At the same time, Nash felt a sense of frustration. No matter what he did, Nina would never be satisfied.He had made chicken soup for her with his own hands, but she suspected it was poisoned and didn't take a single sip. Looking at his scalded hand, he felt like he was being foolish, trying to please a heartless woman.Nash's expression grew colder as he stood up and walked towards the door. Quincy was still waiting outside, and he looked surprised to see Nash coming out. He had been eagerly waiting to be with Nina, and now Nash was leaving?Quincy as
"Men always have a rebellious streak. They tend to look down on the choices made by others. But now, he has a different perspective. Nash is really attentive to Nina!" Hunter thought to himself."It couldn't be the second option," Nash's tone was icy. "She has someone else in her heart, and she's even pregnant!" With that, Hunter was also taken aback. Pregnant? That couldn't be right. "Are you sure?" Hunter asked again. "If I'm not certain, would I tell you?" Nash said in a low voice. Hunter paused for a moment, then asked, "Are you sure the child isn't yours?" He hadn't heard of Nina being close to any other man. "Nina and I have never been intimate!" Nash asserted. "I've got to hand it to you. I'm impressed," Hunter concluded. "With such a stunning young wife by your side, and still, you can endure it? If you’re not the one being cheated on, then who else could it be?"Nash's expression darkened. "Get lost!" Hunter hung up the phone directly as it was better not to prov
When Nina woke up, there was no one else in the room. Just her, with moist eyes. She remembered the argument she had with Nash last night and reached out to the side, finding no one had slept there. It seemed like Nash had left yesterday. Nina got up and hurried to the wardrobe to check, finding his clothes still there, indicating he intended to continue their entanglement. The joy she had just gathered dissipated. She took a shower and got ready for work. Arriving at the television station, she heard Michelle speaking loudly, "Don't block my way, is your work more important than mine?" Today, she was like she had swallowed dynamite."Michelle, what's wrong with you today? Even if you're in a bad mood, you shouldn't take it out on others." Her colleague must have felt unhappy being scolded like this. Michelle had always been like this. When she was in a bad mood, she found fault with everyone. She looked at her colleague and said, "I'm not unhappy. It's just that you're blocki
The trash can sailed through the air, scattering its foul-smelling contents across the police station, filling the air with a pungent odor. Several young officers flanked Kieran from both sides, trying to grab hold of his arms. But Kieran thrashed wildly, his surprising strength allowing him to break free from one officer’s grip. With a sharp elbow strike, he hit another officer square in the stomach. The officer grunted in pain, stumbling back a few steps but gritted his teeth and held his ground. The scene in the reception hall descended into chaos. Civilians seeking assistance huddled in corners, some shrieking in fear. Mrs. Stone stood to the side, wringing her hands and stomping her feet in desperation. Her voice, pleading and panicked, was drowned out by her son’s shouting. “Kieran, stop this! Calm down!” she cried. But Kieran was too far gone, consumed by his manic performance. He couldn’t—or wouldn’t—hear her. The situation was teetering on the brink of tot
Karina stared at the flood of messages, feeling nothing but disgust and revulsion. Kieran’s texts were growing increasingly obsessive, filled with unhinged threats, unreasonable demands, and even veiled warnings against her safety. No. She couldn’t allow the Stone family’s harassment to continue unchecked. Taking a deep breath, she decisively dialed the police. She provided the authorities with a detailed account of the Stone family’s relentless harassment, including Kieran’s disturbing demands and the threatening content of his messages. The officers assured her that they would investigate promptly and provide her with protection if necessary. With the police now involved, Karina finally felt a sliver of relief. *The response was swift. The blare of sirens pierced through the city’s noise as several police cars raced toward Kieran’s address. Flashing red and blue lights reflected off the surrounding buildings, drawing curious stares from passersby. Guided by
The Stone family wasn’t just greedy. They were relentless, always pushing boundaries and expecting more.Karina sighed. “It’s not that I can’t stand up to them, but sometimes it feels unnecessary. There are things that just can’t be explained.”Wilfred didn’t press further. “Pack your things and come with me. I have to travel for a project negotiation that will help our hospital continue expanding.” He was determined to firmly establish himself in Birkham, not just for his professional ambitions but also because Nina was there. Wilfred wanted to protect her and mentor his students, ensuring they could safeguard Nina’s children in the future. “But didn’t we already promise a patient that we’d perform surgery?” Karina asked, a little hesitant. “I’ll arrange for someone else to handle it.” While Karina might have been the better choice for the surgery, Wilfred had other options, including pulling Caleb in at the last minute. “Alright,” Karina replied. Since Wilfred had
Sera blocked Karina’s path, her expression cold and disdainful. “You think you can just use that money to brush me off? Do I look like someone who needs your measly cash?”She grabbed Karina’s arm tightly, her nails biting into her skin. “Let me make this clear. If you don’t do what I’ve asked, I’ll ruin you, Karina. Completely.”Karina’s fear was palpable, but the thought of endless torment and manipulation was even more terrifying. She met Sera’s fierce gaze with a calm, unyielding stare. “Do whatever you want. But let me remind you, the money you gave me? I’m willing to go down with you if it comes to that. My life might not be worth much, but you’ve worked so hard to get into Wilfred’s hospital. Are you really willing to throw that all away?”Sera faltered. She had worked incredibly hard to get where she was. Countless sleepless nights studying, memorizing every detail of her medical texts, and enduring the challenges of difficult patients had pushed her to the brink. She often
Sera’s gaze was so sharp it felt like it could pierce through Karina. Karina hadn’t expected her momentary greed to create such a mess. If she couldn’t stay a doctor, she would have no source of income, and her life would spiral further out of control. “Please, don’t do this. Tell me what you want, and I’ll keep helping you. Maybe… I could spike his drink for you again, or set up another opportunity,” Karina said, grabbing Sera’s hand out of desperation. Sera clearly wasn’t short on money. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to give Karina such a large sum back then.All she wanted now was to secure her position at the hospital.Sera pulled her hand away, a mocking smile on her face. “Set up another opportunity? Do you think Wilfred would fall for it twice? Do you take him for an idiot, Dr. Norman?” Wilfred wasn’t an idiot, and ordinary drugs didn’t seem to affect him much.Karina felt utterly helpless. One wrong step had led to another, and now she had no idea how to
“Starting today, you’ll officially resume your position as my assistant. I trust you’ll adapt quickly,” Wilfred said firmly. Karina’s eyes lit up with a hint of surprise. “Dr. Wilfred, really? I’ll do my best to fulfill the responsibilities of the assistant role.” Wilfred stood up and walked over to her, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Familiarize yourself with the current work schedule and the relevant materials. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me. I have confidence in you.” Karina hesitated, a trace of worry crossing her face. “But… I’m not sure this is a good idea.” Wilfred already had an assistant. If Karina agreed to take the position, wouldn’t that make her a target for trouble from his former assistant? And then there were all the people at the hospital who were infatuated with Wilfred. Lately, she had already been spending more time with him, drawing enough attention as it was. If she officially became his assistant, she’d surely
Back home, the first thing Karina did was take a shower, cranking the water temperature to the highest setting as if that was the only way to wash away the grim memories of the night.She scrubbed her arms fiercely, the spots where those repulsive men had touched her. Even through her clothes, the thought made her feel sick. Again and again, she lathered herself with soap until her skin turned slightly red, but no matter how hard she tried, the discomfort in her heart lingered.After her shower, Karina changed into clean pajamas and sat on the edge of her bed, unable to sleep. Her gaze fell on her phone. She hesitated for a moment before sending a text to Wilfred.“Dr. Wilfred, I’m truly grateful for your help tonight. I’ll never forget it.”After sending the message, she set her phone down, hugged her knees, and curled up on the bed. Returning to the hospital had always been her dream, but now she worried whether she could truly meet expectations and not let Wilfred down.As she
The men exchanged uneasy glances, hesitating for a moment before reluctantly mumbling, “Sorry,” to Karina. Wilfred watched their retreating figures with thinly veiled disgust. Turning to Karina, he asked gently, “Are you okay?” Karina shook her head lightly, brushing it off. “I’m fine, Dr. Wilfred. Thank you.” Wilfred let out a soft sigh. “Come with me. You shouldn’t be working here.” Karina nodded, following him out of the private room. Wilfred guided Karina through the bustling bar. The pounding music and chaotic chatter seemed distant and muted, fading into the background as they moved. They made their way to the parking lot, where Wilfred opened the car door, carefully helping Karina into the passenger seat before getting in himself and starting the engine. As Karina buckled her seatbelt, she turned to Wilfred with a look of curiosity. “Dr. Wilfred, didn’t you say you had things to handle at the hospital? How did you get here so quickly?” Wilfred kept his ey
When Karina stepped into the room, one of the men, his gaze hazy from drink, chuckled and said, “Well, so this is the beauty they sent over?”Karina forced herself to stay calm and replied politely, “Good evening, gentlemen. Here’s the drinks you ordered.” She began placing the drinks on the table one by one, hoping to finish quickly. Before she could finish, another man grabbed her wrist and yanked her toward him. “Come, have a few drinks with us, sweetheart.”Karina’s heart raced as she pulled her hand away with force. “Sir, I’m just here to deliver your drinks. I don’t entertain guests.”The men burst into laughter. “What bar do you think you’re in? There’s no such thing as not entertaining here. Don’t play coy, sweetheart. Sit with us, and you’ll be rewarded handsomely.”Fear surged through Karina as she instinctively stepped back, trying to maintain some distance. “I’m really just here for work,” she said, her voice trembling. “Please respect me!”But the men, emboldened