Chapter 1

1

The day my grandmother suffered a massive brain hemorrhage, my husband was nowhere to be found.

As the country's top neurosurgeon, he was the only one who could save her.

But he refused to perform the surgery because he was too busy comforting his first love, who had just gone through a breakup.

I knelt before him, begging through my tears for him to save the woman who raised me.

He looked at me with nothing but disgust and kicked me aside.

"Is he the only doctor in this hospital? Can't you find a better excuse to get my attention?"

"Besides, even if she is sick, people don't just drop dead in a day or two. Stop being so dramatic!"

Later, my grandmother passed away from complications caused by the hemorrhage. I lost my only family.

When my heart finally turned to stone and I demanded a divorce, he was the one who knelt before me.

He cried, begging for my forgiveness.

The hospital corridor was a complete mess. The crowds pushed me around until I had nowhere to stand.

My grandmother had been rushed into the operating room, and the doctors had already issued a critical condition notice.

"Quick! Find Dr. Quentin Sinclair! The patient has a severe hemorrhage, she's not going to make it!"

Someone in the crowd shouted his name. Hearing it felt like a knife twisting in my chest.

"Valery, have you found Dr. Sinclair yet? Nana can't wait any longer. Try calling him again!"

The young nurse looked at me with a grim expression.

My mouth felt bitter, and I could barely find my voice.

"It's no use. He's... busy."

The nurse grew frantic. "What could be more important than a human life? This is insane!"

Quentin, even a stranger knows that life is precious. Why don't you?

An hour ago, the Chief of Medicine called me. He said if my grandmother didn't get surgery immediately, she would die.

I was at work when I got the news. It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck me.

My body wouldn't stop shaking. I didn't even have time to ask for leave before I ran to find Quentin.

It was pathetic. Even after three years of marriage, I had to find my husband through his first love's social media.

At dawn, Ivy Thorne had sent me a message. It was a photo of Quentin kneeling on the floor, carefully applying medicine to her scraped knee.

The caption read: "So what if you're married? Your husband still comes whenever I call. A wife is just a title, but a first love is forever."

I recognized the house in the background. It was Ivy's place. I had even helped Quentin move her furniture there once.

It was a blatant provocation. Even though I was his legal wife, I was powerless.

I knew how much Ivy meant to him. If I screamed or fought, I would just be a clown in his eyes.

In our three years together, Quentin had never been this gentle with me.

I wanted to laugh. Why is it that some people can get everything they want without trying, while others lose everything?

When I reached Ivy's house, Quentin answered the door. He was holding a spatula.

My heart ached. He was a world-class surgeon. I treated his hands like they were made of glass at home.

Yet here he was, playing chef for Ivy Thorne.

I didn't even have the energy to argue. I just collapsed to my knees the moment I saw him.

I knew that if Ivy needed him, he would drop everything. He would even leave an operating table to be by her side.

"Quentin, please. I'm begging you to save my Nana. She's dying."

My voice was trembling. Only I knew how close I was to breaking.

My parents divorced when I was a toddler. Neither of them wanted me.

They dumped me with my grandmother like I was a piece of unwanted luggage.

I grew up watching them live their separate, happy lives from a distance.

Nana raised me by working three jobs and collecting recyclables. She should have been enjoying her golden years.

At that moment, I didn't care about my marriage or my dignity. I just wanted her to live.

Quentin looked at me with cold, detached eyes. The hatred in his gaze made me feel like a debt collector rather than his wife.

"Valery, when will you stop this? Ivy is going through a hard time. What's wrong with me staying here for a few days?"

"You're really going to lie about your grandmother dying just to get me home? This jealousy is disgusting."

"So what if she waits a few days for surgery? She won't die. I never realized you were this selfish."

I stared at him in disbelief.

Why did he think I was just acting, even now?