"Okay," Yvonne said without hesitation, taking her back home.Nina fell silent, feeling an emptiness in her heart. Loving someone meant caring about their attitude and hoping they valued her feelings. In reality, the disparity was significant.Suddenly, Yvonne slammed on the brakes. Fortunately, Nina was wearing her seatbelt, but she was still startled."Damn it, who’s blocking the road with so many cars?" Yvonne's road rage flared up. "Scaring people like this in the middle of the night! Good thing my driving skills are solid."The headlights made it hard for Nina to see what was happening. She couldn’t make out what was going on.Then, the car door opened.Yvonne, ready to yell, bit back her words when she saw who it was."It’s late. Come back home with me. We can talk there. I’m back now," Nash stood at the car door, speaking to her calmly.Hearing his voice, Nina looked up to see Nash’s face close to hers. He seemed to have rushed over and his clothes were disheveled. Howev
Nina never wanted to hear those words. They made her uncomfortable, but she still said, "Do you think I can't survive without you? While you were with Miranda, I lived just fine. If you're worried about the baby, I have friends and parents. He'll be born healthy without you worrying."Her tone was resolute.Nash was worried about her future. Being with him now was happy, but what if one day he wasn't himself anymore, becoming a beast that could harm her? That would be the worst pain for her.Though reluctant, he had to consider the reality of their situation. Seeing Nina’s cold expression, he worried that his decision might be wrong, potentially causing her harm."Are you going back to your parents'?" Nash asked calmly."Yes," Nina replied.Nash glanced at her belly. "You can go back, but take care of yourself and avoid getting hurt. Don't wander around too much to avoid danger. I can't promise I'll be there when the baby is born, but I will ensure you both are well taken care of
"And besides, he doesn’t come home, he let Miranda out, and I’m angry. I vent my anger, which is within reason, right? But he always leaves. Even when he came to find me, he agreed to let me go back to my parents' house. Doesn’t that mean he’s giving up?" Nina's eyes reddened, on the verge of tears.She held them back, not wanting anyone else to see her cry. Crying alone in a corner was enough.Yvonne did not fully understand. "Go back for a few days and see what he says later. Maybe he’s just respecting your decision, afraid you’d resent him if he begged you to stay. Men and women think differently. But as long as there's love, these issues can be worked out.""Yeah, nothing is an issue," Nina said with a bitter smile. "But he needs to compromise for me just once.""Don’t think about it anymore. Let’s go home, get some sleep, and you’ll feel better tomorrow," Yvonne tried to comfort her.Nina fell silent, swallowing her sadness and accepting the reality. Just like when they first
Her parents had previously expressed their frustration about the matter. However, she was still their daughter, and despite their complaints, they cherished her deeply. Moreover, they were about to become grandparents, something they had longed for. They had always hoped Nina would have a child, so even when they were no longer around, she wouldn't be alone. Thus, they accepted it."No, Mom," Nina said to them. "At that time, I wasn't ready, so I didn't tell you. I'm really sorry about that."Zion, standing by the door, noticed Yvonne had brought her home and immediately guessed, "Did you have another fight with Nash?"He guessed right, but Nina did not want to face it. "Can't I come home without it being a big deal? It's not like I haven't stayed here before. You’re always jumping to conclusions and assuming the worst.""We’re just worried about you," Julia said. "We only want you to be happy. You’re pregnant, and if you’re upset, your father and I will be heartbroken. So we wan
"Is that so?" Nina could not be sure. Her memories were fragmented, recollections brought on by stress. She had no idea what she had truly gone through.Zion sighed deeply, his voice heavy with emotion. "I'm sorry we hid it from you. When you went missing, we reported it to the police. They said you disappeared from school, but they couldn't find you. After months of searching, you returned on your own. When we saw you, you were covered in wounds, curled up at our doorstep. You were mumbling incoherently, clearly out of your mind, and then you passed out. You were unconscious for a long time. When you woke up, you were back to normal, but you couldn’t remember anything that happened. You had even incorporated others’ memories as your own."Thinking back to that time, it was a dark period for them."You didn’t want to remember, so we didn’t want others to know, fearing it would hurt you again," Julia explained. "You didn’t want to remember, so we didn’t want anyone else to know eit
As her father, how could Zion not worry? Even though he did not mention it in front of Julia, he kept it in his heart, fearing Nina might repeat her past mistakes.Julia’s heart raced with anxiety over this matter. Nina comforted her, soothing her until she finally calmed down and went to rest. Zion remained in the living room, waiting for Nina. When Julia had gone to the bedroom, Zion sat there, calmly drinking tea, and asked, "What’s been happening lately?"Hearing her father's question, Nina walked over. "What is it, Dad?""You haven’t been home in a long time," Zion said. "Your mother already mentioned that you came back with a big belly. Have you even considered how long it’s been since you spent time with us? Have you been too busy, or has something happened? Is your relationship with Nash really stable?"His concern was primarily for her happiness and safety."Dad, you really don’t need to worry. I can handle it."Zion pressed on, "Have they come after you again?"Nina
"Yes, Miranda hasn't come to the office. She's gone missing," someone at the company remarked indifferently.Initially, Nina had planned to use her recovered memories to scare Miranda into revealing something. But learning that Miranda hadn't shown up at work for days was puzzling.She remembered Miranda being released from prison and participating in some events, although those events were lackluster. Miranda's reputation had taken a nosedive, and her career seemed over, but it shouldn’t have led to her disappearance. Maybe Miranda was using her disappearance as another publicity stunt?Given her past behavior, it was hard not to be suspicious. However, if the company was unaware of her whereabouts, it was probably not just a stunt."Miranda is missing, and she's still part of your company. Aren't you going to report it to the police?" Nina asked."We're not her family. Company policy dictates we can't act without higher authorization. We have to avoid damaging the company's im
Hearing her voice, Nash's cold face showed a hint of reaction. He turned his head in her direction and, sure enough, saw Nina standing there.Nina quickly walked over, afraid they would miss each other if he got into the elevator. Seeing Nash pause, she felt relieved."Mrs. York," Quincy called respectfully.Nina frowned, staring at Nash. He remained silent, his eyes questioning what she was doing there.Nina stepped into the elevator and commanded, "You come in. The rest, stay out. I have something to discuss with him."Her authoritative tone left no room for argument, and no one dared to join them except Nash, who, despite his puzzled expression, followed her into the elevator.The elevator ascended to Nash's private floor. Once the doors opened, Nina silently walked towards his office, knowing Nash would follow.Once inside, she closed the door and confronted him, "Did you kidnap Miranda?"In the confined space between the door and Nash, she left him no room to move. Nash na
At the time, Wilfred had already guessed that this had everything to do with Harley and his mentor, Professor Zeller. “You and your so-called association don’t focus on benefiting patients. Instead, you spend all your time trying to monopolize everything. And now you want to turn me into one of you? Keep dreaming.” Wilfred’s tone was filled with disdain, his eyes cold with contempt. The smug smile on Harley’s face slowly faded. With a sneer, Harley’s voice turned bitter. “You know what I despise most about you? That self-righteous, holier-than-thou attitude of yours. I was offering you advice, but if you don’t want to hear it, fine. There’s nothing more to say. After all, if the surgery fails—” Before he could finish the word “fail,” the surgical light outside the operating room flicked off. Clack!The sliding doors parted, and Karina burst through, her face flushed with emotion. She didn’t even notice Harley. Her focus zeroed in on Wilfred. “Wilfred!” Her voice trem
As the surgery approached, Karina worked overtime, meticulously double-checking for any possible oversights. Before stepping into the operating room, she took a deep breath."Karina, you’ve got this!" a nurse beside her encouraged.This surgery was particularly significant, and the assistants and nurses weren’t from her hospital. They were brought in by the project, specifically by Harley’s team. Without a single familiar face around, Karina felt a twinge of anxiety. Opportunities to lead surgeries were already rare for her, let alone under circumstances like this, with no one she could truly rely on.But there was no turning back now. Gritting her teeth, Karina donned her gloves. As she was about to enter the operating room, her peripheral vision caught sight of a figure standing silently in the distance. It was Wilfred. His steady gaze met hers, his eyes carrying something profound she couldn’t quite decipher. When their eyes locked, a faint smile curved his lips.In th
“Ava.”A deep voice cut through the air, and Karina turned to see a man in a black suit, wearing a hat and a mask, striding toward them. But the man’s white eyelashes and distinctive eyes were all Karina needed to recognize him. He was her albino patient, Xavier Jasper!Xavier also didn’t expect to run into both Wilfred and Karina here. “It’s you two,” he exclaimed in surprise.Wilfred’s gaze sharpened as he calmly addressed Xavier. “Keep your sister in line. Apologize.”Before Xavier could respond, Ava stepped forward and, to everyone’s surprise, said, “I’m sorry. I was too impulsive. Please forgive me.” Karina was taken aback by how quickly Ava apologized. Even Xavier, who knew his sister’s arrogant tendencies well, looked stunned.Karina nodded, her tone steady but firm. “I forgive you, but that doesn’t mean everyone else will. You should work on your attitude. Stop acting so entitled everywhere you go.” With that, Karina turned on her heel and walked away. Although Xavie
”Those were her meticulously compiled notes, the result of hours of hard work—and now they were ruined just like that?” Karina thought.“I’ve never wronged you. Why would you do something like this?” she demanded, her voice trembling with indignation. Something about the situation felt off, and Karina’s sharp intuition told her this wasn’t a simple misunderstanding.Under Karina’s intense gaze, the nurse finally broke down, revealing Ava’s role in orchestrating the whole thing. Karina’s anger turned into a mix of rage and incredulous amusement. “Really? Rich people—did they all enjoy throwing money around like this?”All this trouble, just to ruin her hard-earned work over a seat?Her carefully compiled notes were gone, and there wasn’t a second copy. Arguing wouldn’t bring them back, but Ava wasn’t going to let this slide without giving someone a piece of her mind.Finding Ava wasn’t difficult. In fact, Ava didn’t even try to avoid her. She seemed to be waiting, eager to see
Just as Ava was about to cause a scene, the sound of steady footsteps filled the room. Wilfred strode in, his white coat enhancing his composed, almost ethereal aura. Ava shot Karina a glare, silently committing her to memory, then begrudgingly found another seat. Wilfred’s gaze swept across the room, pausing ever so briefly on Karina before moving on. She wasn’t sure if it was real or just her imagination. “Today, we’ll discuss cellular structures. I’ll start with an example from my doctoral thesis,” Wilfred announced, adjusting the projector. To Karina’s surprise, he was an exceptional lecturer—clear, engaging, and far more comprehensible than many university professors. She listened intently, taking meticulous notes. Yvette peeked over at Karina’s notebook, wide-eyed at the densely packed writing. “Karina, when you eventually get promoted, land a big raise, or go for your doctorate, I promise I won’t be jealous. Truly.”Karina chuckled. “If you need these notes, I can len
Karina glanced at the time and quickly gestured for Yvette to sit down as well. However, barely had they taken their seats when a haughty woman marched up to Karina, her sharp gaze fixed on the chair she was sitting on. “You, get up. I want that seat!” Karina frowned, studying the unfamiliar woman. She didn’t recognize her from the hospital, but the designer jewelry around her neck and the branded bag on her arm screamed wealth. She seemed like the kind of entitled socialite who rarely had to fight for anything, let alone a seat.Unsure if the woman was trying to pick a fight or genuinely wanted the chair, Karina pointed to the open seats nearby. “There are plenty of seats over there. Take one of those.”Then, she lowered her head, dismissing the woman entirely.The woman’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Excuse me? I said I want your seat. Get up. Now!” Not content with words alone, she reached out to pull Karina up by force. Karina, now genuinely angry, shook her off. “I was h
Karina looked slightly surprised. She distinctly remembered that Wilfred wasn’t a drinker. “I thought you avoided alcohol?” Wilfred, ever the epitome of control and composure, preferred to steer clear of anything that dulled his sharpness. Back when they worked at the Birkham Central Hospital, she had seen him reject bottles of expensive wine from people trying to curry favor with him. He sipped his tea slowly before replying, “You’ve started at a new hospital. As your former mentor, I haven’t given you a proper congratulatory gift yet.” “This is… for me?” Karina asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. Wilfred’s gaze was steady as he replied, “Don’t like it? If not, I can send it back and we can find something else later.” He raised his hand to call the server over. “Wait! No need. I like it a lot,” Karina interjected hastily, stopping him in his tracks. The idea of going gift shopping with him later felt uncomfortably like a date. And knowing Wilfred’s personality, w
Wilfred’s gaze swept over her without a word, and Karina climbed into the car on her own. When choosing her seat, she instinctively moved toward the back, but before she could get in, Wilfred spoke, “Sit in the front. It’s more convenient.” Karina hesitated briefly. Not wanting to appear overly particular, she complied and took the passenger seat. Although there was a saying that the front seat was reserved for a girlfriend, Wilfred didn’t strike her as someone who cared about such details. She decided to pretend she didn’t know. After buckling her seatbelt, a phone suddenly appeared in front of her. She looked up, her face full of confusion and surprise. Wilfred glanced sideways at her, one hand on the steering wheel, the car still stationary. “I haven’t decided on a restaurant yet. I’ll be driving soon. You pick something.” Karina took the phone. As Wilfred drove, she scrolled through the options, narrowing it down to three restaurants. But her mild indecisivenes
Karina forced a smile. “Really, it’s fine. You all go ahead.”Yvette pouted, her disappointment clear as she relented. “Alright then.”Once the others had left, Karina tried to refocus on work. She pulled out her research materials, determined to get something done. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts kept wandering. The cheerful chatter from outside finally snapped her out of it, making her realize just how distracted she had been.Karina gave a wry smile and muttered to herself, “This is why you don’t get ahead of yourself. Seriously, one of life’s biggest delusions.”For a fleeting moment, she had thought Wilfred might feel something for her too. But it was better this way, she told herself—better to wake up now than to fall in too deep later. Romance wasn’t her strong suit; focusing on her career was safer.While others might drown their heartbreak in food or a night out, Karina chose the most grueling outlet: work. It might be exhausting, but it was effective. S