Chapter 5

My lab key went "missing", and I lost a critical experimental window because of it.

When the security footage was reviewed, Victoria just so happened to have captured someone lingering near my locker, subtly implying I'd misplaced it myself.

The night prior to my presentation at an important academic conference, my laptop suddenly crashed. Every single PowerPoint file was corrupted.

Victoria generously offered to lend me her laptop.

The next day, I discovered she'd already forwarded my research highlights to her best friend.

I was no match for someone as calculating as Victoria. Her schemes were meticulous, with layer upon layer.

No matter how I tried to explain, Ethan always chose to believe her.

One day, I found out Victoria had stolen the only necklace Mom left me. It was a cheap silver chain. Victoria had thrown it into a biohazard waste bin at the hospital.

It was the last gift Mom bought for me as a Nurses' Day present with her final paycheck. It was the only thing I had left of her in this world.

I lost control. I stormed toward Victoria and slapped her across the face.

The sharp sound echoed through the corridor.

Victoria covered her cheek, tears flooding her eyes instantly.

Ethan, who'd just walked out of surgery, saw everything.

He rushed forward and stood protectively in front of Victoria, glaring at me. "Leah, have you lost your mind?"

"It was her! She threw away my mom's necklace!" My voice broke as I pointed at Victoria. "That was the only—"

"Enough!" Ethan cut me off. "Leah, I'm truly disappointed in you."

He helped Victoria away and left me standing alone in the hallway.

That was the moment my heart shattered completely.

After that, Ethan brought up breaking up again and again because of Victoria.

And I backed down every time to make peace.

I wanted to find flaws in Victoria's mask and make Ethan see who she really was, but she was too good at pretending.

When she learned that Ethan and I had agreed to try to stay at Redwood General Hospital together, she even tried to sabotage my residency application.

While I was on a night shift, she used her master key to enter my office and attempted to alter my submitted Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) application.

Fortunately, a nurse on duty saw her before she could cause irreparable damage.

Victoria was shameless.

In private, she used every dirty trick imaginable against me. But in public, she was flawless.

She would cry delicately at the slightest provocation, mention Seth's heart condition, and talk about how much she'd sacrificed for Ethan's career.

I didn't know whether Ethan had truly fallen for her or whether he was simply leveraging her connections.

All I knew was that he hurt me again and again for her sake.

And I humiliated myself again and again trying to win him back.

I couldn't bear to leave him.

For four years, Ethan had guided and supported me. He'd become an irreplaceable part of my life. Tearing myself away from him felt like ripping out my own heart.

So whenever he turned cold and threatened to leave me because of Victoria, I retreated and apologized.

But this time, after hearing the impatience and indifference in his voice on that recording, I finally realized how pathetic I'd become.

It turned out that Ethan's distrust in me wasn't because Victoria was clever. It was because he'd already grown tired of me.

He wanted to get rid of me. That was why he always stood on the opposite side.

That night, I sat alone in my room and played the recording over and over again. Eventually, my tears dried, and my heart went numb.

Fine, then. I would give Ethan exactly what he wanted.

I was done backing down and begging for him to stay with me.

As for the research project they destroyed, I wasn't going to save it anymore.

I picked up the phone and called Dr. Adam Vance, the residency director at Northview Memorial Hospital in Fedria, who'd once offered me a position.

"Dr. Vance, I've made up my mind. I accept your offer to join Northview Memorial Hospital's internal medicine residency program."

Relief warmed his voice. "That's great, Leah. Given your circumstances, we'll provide you with a generous living stipend. You won't need to worry about financial pressure."

I opened my inbox and sent a formal acceptance email to Northview Memorial Hospital. Then, I withdrew my application to Redwood General Hospital.

When it was done, I lay back on my bed.

That night, I slept peacefully.

I didn't stay up late worrying about why Ethan wasn't home, nor did I bother calling to ask where he was.

The shackles that held me for four years had finally been cast off.