Chapter 3

"Nancy, I didn't want this either! You know how dangerous it was at the time. If I'd been alone, I would have come to save you first. But Flora was there too! How could I just let her die and leave her in danger as well?" Shaun tried to justify his actions.

He couldn't leave Flora to die but had no problem abandoning me. To think that I was his girlfriend of three years, whom he was planning to marry.

I chuckled derisively.

Shaun continued, "Later, Flora fainted. It was utter chaos back then. Everyone was busy saving lives, and I had to take care of Flora while helping others with the rescue efforts. Nancy, I was just focused on saving others and didn't have time to think about you.

"Besides, you've always been highly valued by Dr. Zahn. I didn't come to save you, but it didn't matter because at the end of the day, he managed to get a rescue team to search for you, right?"

He spoke as if the whole incident had nothing to do with him, completely shirking his responsibility.

I bit my lip, staring in disbelief at the man I had loved for years.

"Do you know how long I was trapped under that wooden cupboard that was over 130 pounds? The entire afternoon! The office I was stuck in only collapsed after multiple aftershocks in the evening. If you had called for help when you left at noon, my hand wouldn't have ended up like this!"

Trinity Hospital was enormous and spanned a large area. According to the doctor from earlier, the team sent to rescue me didn't know my exact location. They searched building by building for me.

Aside from Nigel, my skills in cancer surgery were the most advanced in the country. That was why the higher-ups placed significant importance on finding me. They issued orders that I must be found even if I was dead.

However, the earthquake had caused widespread devastation. Most rescue efforts were directed toward areas with more severe damage.

The search team sent for me was small, and they were afraid of missing any traces of me, so they combed through the area meticulously. This slowed down the process considerably.

"Are you blaming me for this? I was busy rescuing others. Was I wrong to do that?" Shaun seemed even angrier and more offended than I was.

He started rambling, "Is your life the only one that matters? Do other people's lives not count? You just injured your right hand! Do you know how many people died in the earthquake? And you call yourself a doctor!

"So what if you can't perform surgeries anymore? There are plenty of talented doctors in this country. Do you think the hospital can't function without you?"

His self-righteous attempt to guilt-trip me destroyed any lingering feelings I had for him.

It was true that other people's lives mattered too, and I was indeed lucky to have only injured my hand in the earthquake. But if Shaun had helped move the cupboard or called for help without delay, I could have been rescued sooner.

My right hand wouldn't have been damaged so severely until I could no longer perform surgeries. This was something that could have been entirely avoided.

My life might not be more valuable than anyone else's.

But the knowledge I possessed, along with my surgical skills that could save the lives of hundreds of thousands of cancer patients, made my hands especially important and irreplaceable.

As I looked at Shaun, I felt like I was meeting him for the first time—everything about him felt so unfamiliar.

"Let's break up," I muttered with finality.

Shaun's face darkened, and he stood up angrily. "You're breaking up with me, huh? Your hand is ruined now. The hospital won't want you anymore. Your career is done for! Who else would want you but me?"

I took a deep breath and slapped him with my left hand. Then, I knocked over the thermal container he had placed on the bedside table.

Shaun was stunned. He couldn't believe that his usually calm and gentle girlfriend would lose her temper.

I glared at him, my finger trembling as I pointed at him furiously.