Chapter 004

Alessia sat upright for a while after Klein left the room. Her eyes drifted to the necklace box he’d brought just minutes earlier and she let out a slow breath.

A few moments later, she lay down, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. Her mind wandered to memories, back when Klein was the kind of husband any woman would dream of.

She shook her head, trying to push those thoughts away and finally get some rest. She turned to her side. Then turned again.

No matter how hard she tried, sleep wouldn’t come.

Her heart felt heavy and her thoughts spun in circles, refusing to settle.

"Klein is probably in Olivia’s apartment right now…"

She had thought she wouldn’t care, but how could she not? This was her husband. Her legally married husband.

She let out a soft, shaky sigh and stared at the wall.

What had she done wrong?

She searched her mind again, trying to figure out what mistake she might have made to deserve Klein’s coldness. But nothing came to mind. Nothing at all.

Even in the past when she had confronted him about his sudden change, he had waved it off as stress. Said he was working late and needed space. And she had believed him. She had always believed him.

After all, wasn’t she the most understanding wife anyone could ask for?

She had supported him, respected his choices, and trusted him...even when things didn’t feel right.

As time passed, she glanced at the clock again. It was almost 2 a.m.

Her chest tightened. "He said he only went there to fix her light. Why isn’t he back yet?"

Her eyes shifted to the window. The streets were quiet and driving late at night was dangerous. What if something had happened to him?

She hated that she cared.

But how could she not? He was still her husband.

Rolling to the other side of the bed, she reached for her phone and dialed Klein’s number but there was no response.

She tried again.

Still no answer.

Alessia sat up properly, her pillow falling to the ground. Sleep had fully left her eyes now. She placed the phone back down and just sat there, staring ahead, her hands folded over her knees.

Time dragged by slowly. Minutes turned into hours and soon, it was 4 a.m.

She still hadn’t slept.

Just as she reached for her blanket, ready to force her body to rest, her phone rang.

Her heart skipped.

"Klein?" She thought quickly and picked it up.

But it wasn’t. It was an unknown number. Who could be calling her this early?

"Hello?" she answered, her voice low.

"Doctor Sia" a female voice cried out on the line.

Alessia frowned and pulled the phone away from her ear to check the screen again.

"Doctor Sia?"

Her heart skipped.

She hadn’t been called that in months ever since she quit her job. It was the name she had gone by at work, a way to keep things professional.

She had given up her role as a surgeon because Klein had said her job kept her too busy. Late night calls, emergency cases, surgeries that lasted hours... even during intimate moments, her hospital phone would ring. He said he couldn’t take it anymore.

So, she stepped away. For him.

“You’ve got the wrong number,” she said, trying to keep her voice calm.

"Please, ma’am," the woman on the line sobbed. " A patient was just rushed in. She’s pregnant and bleeding heavily. There are no doctors on duty right now. I didn’t know who else to call… I found your number in the old staff records.”

Alessia paused, her heartbeat quickening. Her fingers gripped the edge of the blanket.

She inhaled deeply. “How far along is she?”

“About eight weeks,” the nurse replied quickly.

“How much blood has she lost?”

"It’s… it’s a lot. We’ve been trying to stop the bleeding but it’s not working. She wants to save her baby. She’s begging us to help. Please, ma’am… please.”

Alessia quickly climbed out of bed, already walking toward her wardrobe "Pulse? Blood pressure?"

"BP keeps dropping. Pulse is weak."

"Okay," Alessia said calmly. "Keep her stable. Apply mild pressure and elevate her legs. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes."

She tossed the phone on the bed and quickly changed into a simple pair of jeans and a plain long-sleeve shirt. She tied her hair back tightly and grabbed her car keys.

Moments later, she was in her car, driving out of the estate, the city still quiet in the early morning hours. Her heart thumped with nervous energy.

It had been months since she walked into an operating room but the knowledge never left her. Her hands still remembered.

She pulled into the hospital she once called her second home. The security man at the gate recognized her immediately and waved her in with surprise.

Inside, she changed quickly...put on her face mask, her surgical coat. Her hair was covered, and her focus was back.

The moment she stepped into the emergency room, she paused as her eyes landed on the patient on the stretcher.

Her heart skipped and her steps slowed.

There, lying weak and pale on the hospital bed, was Olivia.

Alessia’s lips parted slightly.

‘Klein’s secretary?’

But before she could move, someone turned around from the corner of the room, looking restless.

"Klein?" Alessia whispered, barely audible under her breath.

He stood still, eyes red, like he’d been crying. Crying? Over Olivia?

She didn’t even have time to finish the thought before Klein rushed toward her and grabbed her hands.

“Please,” he begged, voice shaking. “Please, doctor. Save my wife and child.”

Alessia froze.

Her chest tightened and her hand slowly slipped from his grasp.

Wife? Child?

What… what did he just say?

Klein didn’t notice her reaction. He was already walking back to Olivia’s side, gently holding her hand, brushing her hair away from her face, whispering soft words to comfort her.

Alessia stood rooted at the spot. The world around her spun a little.

She blinked.

"Wife?" She repeated.

She felt like someone had just knocked the air out of her lungs.

She wasn’t just the second option…

She was now the other woman in their love life.