Chapter 1

“Alex’s hurt, come quickly," the call came through.

Kaylee Lawson had just finished an eight-hour surgery and barely made it home when she received this call from her boyfriend Alex Morgan’s friend.

Walking into the private room of the bar, she found a young girl sitting in Alex’s lap, arms wrapped around his neck. The girl's eyes were red, tears still clinging to her long lashes.

"Kaylee, her right foot is injured. Take a look," Alex said quickly.

The girl looked at her with doe-like eyes. "Thank you, miss."

Kaylee hesitated before kneeling down. But before she could even touch the girl's ankle...

"Ouch, it hurts so much!" the girl cried out, burying her face in Alex’s chest.

"Kaylee, do you even know what you're doing?" Alex snapped.

"I haven't even touched her yet," Kaylee explained, looking up.

Alex’s brows furrowed in anger. "If you didn't touch her, why is she in pain?" he asked, gently rubbing the girl's back.

The stark contrast cut deep into Kaylee's heart. She had been his girlfriend for four years, but they'd known each other for nearly twenty. They'd gone to school together, and during holidays, she'd taken care of him, staying up all night when he had fevers. Yet this girl, whom he'd known for barely four days, had earned more of his trust.

Kaylee slowly stood up. "I'm sorry, but I can't help with this."

"Can't help?" Alex’s face darkened. "Kaylee, my family supported you for years, paid for your medical doctorate, and you can't even handle something this simple?"

The contempt in his voice was unmistakable. She finally understood his dissatisfaction with their relationship and recognized that her status in his heart had never changed.

Standing straight, she took one last look at the man she had loved for so many years. "Mr. Morgan, I can't help this lady. And I'm sorry for occupying the position of your girlfriend these past few years. It won't happen again."

Alex’s dark eyes met hers, his expression mocking. "Breaking up with me? Perfect timing - I wanted to make things official with Lucy anyway." His casual tone suggested he'd been waiting for this moment.

"Enjoy your evening, Mr. Morgan,” Kaylee said, turning to leave.

Before she could exit, she overheard his friends.

"The housekeeper's daughter should be grateful she got this far."

"One call from Alex and she'll come running back."

As she left, the memories flooded over her. Her mother had been the Morgan family's housekeeper, killed in a robbery twenty years ago. Her father had fled with the compensation money. The Morgan family had taken her in, raising her alongside Alex. He had been her entire world.

Later, they dated. He'd proudly announced their relationship at a company event and even given her a diamond ring, talking about marriage.

These memories, contrasted with tonight's events, crushed her heart. Unable to breathe, she only realized she was crying when passersby started staring. She rushed to the ladies' room, locked herself in the furthest stall, and finally broke down.

She had finished crying and was ready to face her new life...

Just as Kaylee opened the door, a tall figure forced his way in.

Kaylee almost screamed but the man's hand covered her mouth, pushing her against the wall. "If you want to live, cooperate," he warned in a strained voice.

The overwhelming smell of blood enveloped her, his hand against her face still fresh with it.

Perhaps it was a doctor's instinct to help the injured - her resistance faded instantly.

Hearing movement outside, the man tried to lock the stall door, only to find it broken.

"Where the hell did he go?"

"Check the bathrooms!"

"Watch here - when we find him, break his legs!"

The man leaned against the wall, deathly pale, his dark shirt sleeve soaked in blood. As Kaylee studied his face, those cold dark eyes seemed strangely familiar.

Hearing footsteps enter the women's bathroom, she acted on instinct. She grabbed his belt, throwing his words back at him, "If you want to live, cooperate."

Like handling an emergency patient, she pulled down his black dress pants, left them by the door, and started unbuttoning his shirt.

As they checked each stall, she took out her rubbing alcohol and splashed it around. When they reached the neighboring stall, Kaylee looked at his weakened state, took a deep breath, pulled off her T-shirt, and kissed him.

As the stall door opened, she snapped, "Get lost, you perv!"

The man outside whistled at the sight of her bare waist. "Just some couple getting frisky," he laughed. "Want to take a look?"

That outburst had taken all her courage. She bit her lip hard, clutching the man's bloody shirt, barely breathing.

"Screw you, we've got no time for that!" another man barked.

Only when silence returned did Kaylee exhale, turning to face the wall as she dressed. Behind her, the man retrieved his pants.

Just as he was about to leave...

Kaylee grabbed him back, pointing at the toilet lid, "Sit."

Ignoring his confused look, she dug through her bag, "If I were someone with an arterial injury, I'd listen to my doctor!"