Chapter 1 Betrayal

At six o'clock in the evening, the bustling corridors of Bayview United Medical Center were bathed in the stark, sterile glow of fluorescent lights. Cassie Garner had just finished a grueling four-hour surgery and returned to her office, rolling her stiff shoulders. Just as she sat down, her phone buzzed on the desk. It was a text message from her boyfriend, Baldwin Pittman.

[Cassie, I have to work late tonight. I won't be able to make it to dinner. Get some rest and don't wait up for me.]

Today was their third anniversary. She had originally planned to go back to their shared apartment after her shift, cook a lavish dinner from scratch, and wait for him to celebrate. She even had a massive surprise prepared for him—she had pulled countless strings, leveraged old connections, and spent sleepless nights to secure a commercial contract for a project his finance firm had been chasing for six months without success.

But he was busy. For the past three years, he had been managing his investment firm, constantly tied up with social engagements and endless meetings. She was used to it. That was why she hadn't even mentioned to him that she had been temporarily transferred to this branch hospital for the month, not wanting to add to his stress.

Just as Cassie was about to clock out and pack her bag, an ER nurse rushed into her office, her face pale with urgency. "Dr. Garner! We just got an emergency patient in the ER. Acute ruptured corpus luteum with severe abdominal hemorrhaging. Her vitals are dropping fast!"

Cassie's expression instantly hardened into professional focus. She stood up, grabbing her stethoscope. She followed the nurse out, asking briskly, "Have we determined the cause? Was it blunt force trauma or spontaneous rupture?"

The nurse coughed, looking slightly awkward and avoiding eye contact. "Um, according to the paramedics... it was due to overly intense sexual activity."

Cassie didn't ask any further questions, merely quickening her pace down the hallway. As a top-tier surgeon with extensive experience, she had seen her fair share of similar cases. It was usually young, hot-blooded couples who didn't know their limits and took things too far.

The moment she stepped into the chaotic emergency room, a furious, booming male voice cut through the noise of the monitors.

"Where the hell is the doctor?! Why isn't anyone here yet?!"

"She's passing out from the pain! Are you people going to treat her or what?!"

Cassie's footsteps came to a dead halt. She looked up, her gaze cutting through the crowd of rushing medical staff, and landed squarely on the tall, broad-shouldered man standing next to the gurney.

It was Baldwin Pittman.

The very same man who had just texted her that he was swamped with work and couldn't spend their anniversary with her.

Right now, his face was pale with frantic anxiety as he stared down at the young woman on the bed, who was whimpering in agony.

Cassie's mind went completely blank, a deafening ringing filling her ears as the sterile smell of the hospital suddenly made her nauseous.

"The surgeon is here!" the nurse announced, snapping the tension in the room.

Baldwin whipped his head around, his eyes locking onto the female doctor standing in the doorway, clad in a white coat and a surgical mask. Seeing her frozen in place, he roared, "What are you standing there for?! Save her! If anything happens to her, I'll sue this entire hospital into the ground!"

Cassie stared at Baldwin's face. The face that was usually so gentle and patient with her was now twisted into a vicious, terrifying snarl—all for the sake of another woman's safety.

Standing rooted to the spot, Cassie dug her fingernails so hard into her palms that they almost drew blood. She didn't pull down her mask. She didn't rush forward to scream, cry, or demand an explanation. She simply turned to the head nurse and issued a cold, unwavering order: "Notify the blood bank to prepare for a massive transfusion. Get her into Operating Room One immediately."

Baldwin frowned, a flicker of confusion crossing his features. The doctor's voice sounded eerily familiar, almost exactly like Cassie's. But he quickly dismissed the thought. Cassie worked at the main Columbia University Medical Center; there was no way she would be here. A second later, his entire focus snapped back to the fragile girl on the gurney, who was crying out in pain.

The red light above the operating room flicked on.

Under the glaring surgical lights, Cassie gripped the scalpel with steady, calloused hands. Incision, clamping, locating the bleeding point, suturing. Her movements were mechanical, flawless, and utterly devoid of emotion. She pushed every ounce of her betrayal down, focusing solely on the anatomy in front of her.

An hour later, the surgery was a complete success.

Cassie followed the medical team as they wheeled the recovery bed out of the OR. The moment the double doors swung open, she saw Baldwin leap up from the waiting room bench. He rushed to the side of the bed, his eyes brimming with heartache as he leaned down to press a tender kiss against the girl's pale cheek.

"It's okay, Kindra. You're safe now. I'm right here," he whispered softly.

Cassie shot Baldwin one final, freezing glare, turned on her heel, and walked away without a single word.

Back in her office, she pulled the thick, hard-won commercial contract from her bag. With numb fingers, she tore the pages down the middle, again and again, until it was nothing but a pile of shredded confetti, and dumped it straight into the trash can.

Then, she stripped off her white coat, changed into her street clothes, and hailed a cab back to the apartment they had planned to live in after getting married.