Chapter 2

2

Have some empathy?

The hospital had originally offered me the department chief position, but I stepped aside so she could have it.

Throughout our marriage, I gave her everything, yet in her eyes, I was heartless.

Seeing the cold disgust in my eyes, Mallory realized she went too far and softened her tone.

"Babe, I misspoke. I just remembered how hard it was for us when we were interns, which is why I've been looking out for him."

"Trevor really wants to become a surgeon. If you just help him out this once, I'll take back what I said about the divorce..."

Before she could finish, Trevor leaned into the frame.

"Chief Hayes, please don't stay trapped in a miserable marriage just for my sake."

I let out a harsh chuckle.

"You're right, being married to me must be such a torture for you."

"So torturous that the entire department feels sorry for you and your precious intern."

"Let's get divorced. That way, you can go live your happy, unburdened life with him."

My words struck a nerve, and Mallory exploded.

"Gavin Ward! Can't you get it through your thick skull? I told you there's nothing going on between Trevor and me!"

"Everyone in the department is right about you―you just love targeting people out of spite!"

Trevor gently rubbed Mallory's back, whispering soothingly.

"Chief Hayes, as much as I want to be a doctor, I won't drag you down. I'll take the blame myself."

Mallory looked at him with sheer heartbreak.

"I'm your mentor, Trevor. I will protect you no matter what, and I won't let anything happen to you."

She turned back to the camera, barking orders at me.

"Gavin! You go to Chief Bennett right now and tell him you were the lead surgeon, and that Trevor was just observing."

"If you refuse, I'm signing the divorce papers tomorrow!"

She hung up abruptly.

My heart remained utterly still. In fact, I wanted to laugh.

She had already signed those divorce papers the very first time we fought over Trevor.

All it needed was my signature to become final.

By the time I finished preparing the malpractice filing, the sun was rising.

A colleague I had previously saved from a violent patient dispute called my phone.

"Dr. Ward, it wasn't easy for Trevor to match into our program. You've helped us so much in the past, why can't you help him just this once?"

"Besides, protecting him means protecting Chief Hayes. Can you really bear to watch her get dragged down?"

I didn't even bother answering; I hung up and blocked the number.

Whether it was Mallory or these ungrateful hypocrites, I was done with all of them.

I pulled the divorce agreement from my drawer, signed my name, and packed all of Mallory's belongings into boxes, scheduling them to be shipped straight to Trevor's apartment.

When I picked up a framed photo of Mallory and her mother, my eyes finally welled with tears.

I grew up in a broken home and never knew parental love.

After we married, my mother-in-law treated me like her own flesh and blood, filling the void in my heart.

When she found out about Mallory's inappropriate closeness with Trevor, she had scolded her daughter multiple times, defending me.

She should have lived a long, peaceful life.

Instead, she died on an operating table during a routine procedure.