Prologue

The world was as silent as if it ended in the night. The sun was still resolutely below the horizon and the street was as dark as some old-school black and white movie.

Pulling myself up from the bed, I gave up on trying to get any more sleep. I had fought for too many hours to stay dreaming.

Turning off my alarm, I went to the living room and stood by the large bay window that overlooked the street. With a thousand thoughts running through my mind, I found the darkness to be soothing. Honestly, the last time that I could remember waking up this early was seven years ago.

Gazing out of the window, I felt a sense of serenity while I observed the street lamps, which looked hazy from the early morning dew. I stepped outside and inhaled a deep breath of the crisp autumn air.

Autumn, it was.

Memories from seven years ago flowed back to me as I settled myself down on the front porch steps. I felt emptiness wrap around me like mists. With a heavy heart, I closed my eyes.

And the heady pull of my broken dreams started beckoning me back to go back to the past days and resolve all the mistakes.

But, was it really a mistake?

I thought as I opened my teary eyes and gazed up at the fading stars. The sun would be up soon.

It was all a lie to begin with—it was just a bet.

I was drawn to the lies of a person. But he was never a lie. I was a lie to him, Just a ridiculous lie. A bet!

I let out a pitiful laugh as I raked my fingers through my long hair. Even after all this time, I couldn’t forget or forgive him. Those precious memories that I thought I would treasure forever became the very source of my grief.

And those memories were the soul torturer for me, biting every corner it could reach. I couldn't escape them, or hide from them; they were the worst kind of monster.

Clenching my hands together, I continued to think about everything that had happened from that yore to the present. All of the hardships and heartache that I had endured was nothing short of a nightmare.

I wasn’t sure how long I had sat there, but the rising sun immediately captured my attention. Taking in the beautiful colors of dawn breaking, I stood up and resolved that today was going to be a good day.

“Time to get back to reality, Crystal,” I mumbled as I made my way back inside the house.

Entering the kitchen, I saw Nancy, my maid, preparing breakfast.

 “Good morning! Wow, that smells delicious,” I said while smiling at her.

“Good morning, miss. You woke up so early today. I saw you sitting out there, but I thought you might have wanted to be alone so I didn’t disturb you.”

“Thank you, Nancy.”

She was right, I wanted to be alone. Sighing softly, I walked over to the kitchen to help her out and after a few moments, I heard familiar footsteps making their way towards the kitchen.

“Good morning, Ms. Crystal Kelly. Long live the Queen of the witches!”

Grinning, I turned to face the intruder.

“Good morning, yourself, Mr. Alex.” I glanced up at the clock which read 7:15.  “You're early today.”

 Alex nodded and gave me a playful smile. “I missed my Princess so much that I think it's high time for me to move in here.”

My smile faltered. “Uh, move here?”

He smirked at my response. “You look so cute when you're nervous.” He paused and pinched my nose. “Relax, I was just kidding. By the way, are you sure you’re not going to switch your preference soon? You and Yejin looked really close yesterday.”

 He chuckled as I slapped him on the arm.

“Oh, shut up,” I said while glaring at him.

Unbothered, he scanned the room and a frown formed on his handsome face.

“Where is my princess? She usually wakes up the minute I get here.”

 I grinned at the mention of my daughter. “She must still be in her room. She declared yesterday that she is old enough to sleep in her own bed.”

 Alex let out a small chuckle. “It’s true that she isn't a kid anymore. I'm more worried about her mother, she’s the one that’s still a kid.”

 “Yeah, yeah… whatever you say, you—”

“Good morning, mom and Uncle Alex!”

My baby girl’s bright and sunny voice made the insult that I was about to hurl at the man sitting across from me die in my throat. We both turned to look at my beautiful daughter who was coming down the stairs. Alex's face instantly lit up. Immediately, he stood up from his seat and went directly towards her. Scooping her up into his arms, he gave her a light peck on the cheek.

“Good morning, my princess! How did you know that I was here?”

 Anne smiled sweetly, and said, “I heard your voice while I was coming down the stairs. You're going to take me to my sports today, right?”

Alex vigorously nodded his head.  “Of course! I promised you. That's why I woke up so early and rushed over here.”

 I couldn't help but smile at the two of them. They were so adorable! I couldn’t help, but thank heaven for my best friend, Alex. He was a huge blessing in my life and, to a certain degree, my knight in shining armor.

Anne kissed Alex's cheek happily while giving him a hug. “That's why I love my uncle so much!” She glanced over at me and giggled. “Mom should marry uncle.”

 “Not in a million years, sweetheart.”

She huffed at my response as she clung to Alex.

This silly girl really knows how to push my buttons, I thought as I watched the pair of them.

Placing Anne in her chair, Alex stroked her nose as he said with sarcasm, “Your mom is a hopeless romantic who doesn’t want to let go of the past, dear. You know her, always trying to play the sacrificial heroine.”

I shot him a hard look and crossed my arms over my chest. “You're the one who doesn't give me a chance to forget him. You’re always bringing him up!”

 Alex shook his head and sighed in defeat. “All I do is say how you need to let the past go. You’re the one who goes on and on about him like you will never find love again. Even your daughter knows about the times that you have cried over him. Oh, and me bringing him up? I do that as a reminder.”

Drawing my eyebrows together in confusion, I asked, “A reminder for what?”

“That my best friend aspires to be Mother Teresa.”

 Scowling at him, I pursed my lips. “Well, then what about you, Uncle Alex? Why don't you find a girl and get married? What about, uh—” I racked my brain to remember that girl’s name. “Right! Rose! What about her? She seemed to take a fancy to you.”

Alex pushed back the few strands of hair that had fallen across his forehead and with a mischievous glint in his eye, asked obliviously, “Who?”

  Exasperated, I yelled, “Just tell me your ideal type! I'll find the perfect girl for you.”

 “Nah, I'm too handsome to marry a girl.”

“Then marry a boy. You narcissistic—”

“Uh, mom! I'll marry uncle when I'm grown up!” Anne interrupted.

I found it amusing how she often played referee in our little spats.

Letting out and exaggerated sigh, I said in a mournful voice, “Oh no! My poor daughter, I am grieving over your future.”

“Hmph! I will teach you a lesson later, Madame. Uh, but...” Alex looked thoughtfully over at Anne. “Why aren't you going to her game today?”

“I had too many appointments and I couldn’t get anyone to cover for me. How are you taking her? Don't you have work today too?”

“Yeah, but not until later this evening. Brain surgery.”

Anne widened her eyes. “Will, you cut into their head!?”

“I’ll have to, love.”

“But, uncle won’t they  die if you cut into their head?” she asked with an anxious expression.

I walked over to her and gave her a reassuring hug.

“Sweetheart, stop talking and eat your breakfast with Uncle Alex. I have to go get ready for work. Be a good girl and good luck with your game today. I love you!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be here with her. You better go if you don’t want to be late again,” Alex said smiling at me.

 He was always there for me and I was so thankful to have him in my life.

* * *

After parking my car, I walked into the hospital and went directly to the reception desk.

The receptionist smiled politely at me and said, “Good morning, Dr. Kelly.”

“Good morning, please call Mickhel and tell him that I'm making my morning rounds.”

I called Elita, to accompany me on my rounds. She was the on duty head nurse and I usually had her make notes for the rest of the nursing team so that my patients could be discharged or continue to receive proper care for their condition.

“Can you move your fingers?” I asked my last patient.

His face twisted in pain as he tried to move his fingers and I saw his index finger move stiffly.

Smiling warmly, I said,  “Congratulations. You're improving.” I turned to his guardian. “There is no need in keeping him here any longer. He will continue to improve day by day. I will allow him to go home, but make sure he gets plenty of rest. Come back for a checkup in one week. I will also prescribe him some pain medication that should help with any lingering pain that he might experience during the night.”

After finishing my morning rounds, I trudged toward my office. I was exhausted. Flopping into my office chair, I stared at my name plate that rested on my overly large desk.

“Dr. Crystal Kelly. General Surgeon,” I mumbled, while reading the engraved words.

I had always aimed to be a successful doctor. Being brought up in a middle class family, I didn’t financially struggle as other students had in med school. I truly believed that I had found my calling.  But, am I happy? I frowned as I contemplated my life. Some would probably think that I was ungrateful or stupid for not to being happy with my life.

 I had a great job, a nice house, amazing friends and a loving child. Oh, my Anne. If there was any happiness in my life, it was because of my lovely daughter. However, whenever Anne would ask me questions about her father, I couldn’t bring myself to answer her. I have never even told her his name!

Barely hearing the knock on the door, I reigned in my drifting thoughts and answered, “Come in.”

  “Dr. Crystal. Here is your today's schedule,” said Mickhel. He handed me the reports with a wide smile. He was a resident who was studying under me and I was always grateful for any extra help.

“Thanks, Mickhel.” I glanced over the files and whistled. “Today is going to be a long day.”

 “Should I call in the first patient?" Mickhel asked.

I nodded and Mickhel went outside. A moment later, a middle-aged woman and a boy around sixteen came in and gave a slight bow.

 I smiled at the pair and said, “Please, have a seat.”

After quickly scanning over the report, I looked up at the boy.

“You are Jomin Gu, right? You came yesterday. Are you feeling any better after using the crutches?”

 “Yes, ma’am.”

Turning to his mother, I informed, “After looking at the MRI, I found that his ACL is torn. I'll show you on the computer.”

I swiveled the monitor around so that they could see as I explained the prognosis.

“The anterior cruciate ligament or ACL runs diagonally through the middle of the knee. It serves to support and stabilize the three bones that meet in the knee joint: the tibia, femur, and patella. As you can see from this picture here, Jomin’s ACL has torn.”

Jomin and his mother shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

Clicking through a few more copies of the MRI, I continued, “A sprained knee caused by minor ACL injuries may include tenderness and swelling, which is why I put Jomin on crutches yesterday. However, I think his case is more serious and needs a small operation. If his ACL continues to tear, his knee will become inflamed, unstable and will have a reduced range of motion.”

The boy started fidgeting nervously and I chuckled softly.

“Don’t worry. This is a common injury and the surgery is very minor.”

Upon hearing this, he relaxed a bit and I went into explaining the surgery in fuller detail.

 “We will have to reattach the torn ligament or replace it with a piece of healthy tendon. Full recovery will take several weeks up to a couple of months before you can go back to doing your regular activities. To speed up the healing process, I will recommend you to a physical therapist so that you can work on restoring your range of motion.”