Chapter 2

2、

I turned to leave, ignoring the shocked gasps behind me.

Gemma was faster, blocking my path with a sharp, piercing voice.

"Silas Thorne, quit joking around!"

"Your family is dirt poor. Where would you get the money for Harvard? Stop acting out of spite!"

Xander's face also twisted with worry.

"Dr. Thorne, you've spent so long on the AS Spinal Rejuvenation Project. How can you quit now? That's incredibly irresponsible to the patients!"

I let out a cold laugh. "Isn't my departure exactly what you two wanted?"

After a moment of silence, Xander reached out and grabbed my arm like he was making a sacrifice.

"Silas, you're a great doctor. I don't want to see you throw your dreams away."

"If you don't mind, I can introduce you to Dr. Langdon. I'll try to convince him to take you on as a student too."

The moment Xander said that, he became a saint in the eyes of our colleagues.

If I refused, I would look like an ungrateful jerk.

The department head stepped forward then.

He patted Xander on the shoulder with a look of pure admiration.

"Dr. Sterling, you've done nothing wrong. Why are you humbling yourself for him?"

"Especially for someone with such questionable character!"

He then turned his sharp, burning gaze toward me.

"Since you've made your choice, this small hospital clearly isn't big enough for a superstar like you."

"Submit your resignation. I'll sign it immediately."

Gemma looked completely panicked now, seemingly wanting to smooth things over.

But I cut her off, stripped off my white lab coat, and walked away without a single backward glance.

I had barely made it out the hospital doors when Gemma caught up to me, grabbing my sleeve.

"Silas Thorne, who gave you permission to quit? Get back in there and apologize to the chief right now."

I shook her hand off with a dead expression. "In your dreams."

"Silas, you're broke. How are you going to survive in Boston? If you take one more step, we are over!"

Her commanding tone was laughable.

This was the woman I had loved with all my heart for three years.

I let out a self-deprecating smirk. "Then we're over."

I didn't give her time to react. I hopped into a taxi and disappeared.

By the time I got home, the news of what happened between Xander and me had already spread through the hospital.

Some busybody had even posted the story on the city's medical forum.

Suddenly, Xander and I were the talk of the local medical community.

He was the hero, the selfless doctor everyone praised.

Several national research groups were already reaching out to him.

And I? I was the lowlife thief.

Not only were my past achievements being questioned, but I was also being labeled as the shame of the medical world.

I scrolled through comment after comment calling me a disgrace.

Strangely, my heart felt incredibly calm.

Xander only joined the research team because I personally recommended him.

After joining, every piece of data he used came from my hard work. He had never even handled a real experiment.

Our old mentor had always believed in me. Before he passed away, he left that recommendation letter specifically for me.

He wanted me to join Dr. Langdon's team and make a real impact.

Now, the research was moving into the clinical trial phase.

I wanted to see how Xander would perform a complex AS spinal repair without me there to guide his hands.

Exposing their lies was only a matter of time.