Chapter 4

“Is this really necessary?” he thought to himself.

It was just one heart.

She actually had the nerve to demand a divorce over this?

Noah slammed the box of pastries into the trash can with a violent swing.

“If you don’t want this home, then don’t ever come back!”

Just then, his phone rang. Noah glanced at the screen and saw that my father, Vincent, was calling.

“Noah? Where’s Sophia been lately?”

It was rare for my father to call and actually ask about me. After all, every other word out of his mouth was usually about Naomi.

Noah thought about it for a moment, realizing that only my parents could goad me into showing my face. Besides, Naomi had already mostly recovered.

So, he decided to tell my father about Naomi’s surgery.

My parents rushed over to the hospital that very night.

The moment Naomi saw our parents, her tears fell like an open faucet. After the three of them wept in a tight embrace for a while, my parents finally asked about me.

“Where is your sister? She’s in the same department, yet she hasn’t even come over to visit you?”

Naomi hesitated slightly. “Sophia has already been discharged.”

My mother, Eleanor, held Naomi tight. “Discharged? Her health sure is robust—checking out just a few days after surgery. Isn’t she afraid of dropping dead out there?”

My father immediately cut in to stop her. “What are you saying? Even though Naomi had the surgery, there’s no guarantee there won’t be complications down the road. If Sophia dies, what happens to Naomi?”

Hearing this, my mother tapped her own lips repeatedly. “Don’t say that! Even if she’s going to die, she better wait until after Naomi! Don’t worry, Naomi, Mom and Dad will definitely look after you.”

Warmth flooded Naomi’s heart as she listened to our parents’ words.

The next day, Noah walked into the ward and was greeted by the cozy, heartwarming scene of Vincent and Eleanor surrounding Naomi’s bedside.

For some reason, the sight felt strangely glaring to him—perhaps because he realized he had never seen my parents treat me that way.

“Noah, you’re here! We owe you so much for saving Naomi’s heart.”

My parents focused entirely on thanking Noah, without mentioning a single word about me.

Noah asked my parents if they had heard anything from me, but the mere mention of my name soured their mood instantly.

“Why are you bothering with her? She’s already been discharged, which means she’s perfectly fine. You should focus on caring for Naomi instead.”

“Naomi has been frail since she was a child, whereas Sophia has always been as healthy as an ox.”

My parents had always subtly tried to match-make Naomi and Noah, though they had never said it out loud due to Naomi’s illness. But now, everything was aligning. As long as Noah and I got divorced, he and Naomi could end up together.

Before Noah could speak, a colleague walked into the room. “Dr. Sullivan is truly such a devoted husband, coming by every single day to stay by his wife’s side.”

Hearing this, my parents assumed the matter was practically sealed, while Naomi couldn’t hide her shy bashfulness.

Noah’s face, on the other hand, flushed with anger. “Who told you she’s my wife?”

The colleague didn’t notice the sudden shift in Noah’s expression and grinned in response. “Everyone in the department knows! No need to play modest with us.”

With that, he turned and hurried back to work.

Vincent and Eleanor grabbed Noah’s arm. “Noah, since Sophia isn’t around anyway, letting your colleagues think Naomi is your wife means everyone will take extra good care of her.”

Noticing that Naomi’s eyes were welling up with tears, Noah forced his anger down.

Back in his office, before Noah could track down that colleague to set the record straight, someone informed him that his former mentor had arrived.

Hearing this, Noah rushed straight to the department director’s office.

The moment he saw Dr. Richard Vaughn, Noah stepped forward and pulled him into a warm hug. “Dr. Vaughn! It’s been so many years! How are you holding up?”

Dr. Vaughn nodded, sizing Noah up with a proud smile. “I heard you just performed a heart transplant. The student truly surpasses the master!”

Dr. Vaughn went on to reminisce about how he had performed surgery on Noah when Noah was just a young boy, never imagining that Noah would grow up to follow in his footsteps.

Noah froze dead in his tracks.

“Dr. Vaughn... what surgery are you talking about?”