Chapter 005

Klein looked at Alessia, who stood frozen by the door in her scrubs.

His eyes were full of panic, but when she didn’t move, something in him snapped.

He rushed over, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her closer to the stretcher where Olivia was bleeding.

“Please, doctor. Save her… I’ll give you anything. Just save my baby and my wife.”

Wife. That word again.

Alessia felt a sharp pain in her chest. Her throat tightened. Her heart was beating so loudly she could barely hear anything else.

She could have walked out right then. Could have thrown her gloves in his face and said, “Let your ‘wife’ save herself.”

But she didn’t.

Because no matter how much it hurt… she was still a doctor. And there was a life… no, two lives… hanging by a thread in front of her.

She turned to the nurse. “Get him out of here.”

The nurse nodded and called for the orderlies.

Klein looked at Alessia again, frowning.

He squinted, trying to place her face. “Why do you look familiar?” he asked. “Or maybe it’s your voice… Have we met before?”

Alessia bit her lower lip hard under the mask. Her eyes burned.

Before, Klein could recognize her in anything. From the back of her head. From her voice, even in a whisper.

But now? She was just familiar?

She didn’t answer.

“Help…” Olivia’s weak voice broke through, her hand reaching out in fear.

Alessia turned away from Klein and focused on Olivia, ignoring him completely.

The nurse led him out, though he kept glancing back until the door shut behind him.

Alessia stood still, silent.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. When she opened them, she looked over at Olivia who was now unconscious from the anesthesia.

The operating room was cold, the bright lights shining overhead. Alessia walked over to the sink and began scrubbing her hands and arms again, the strong smell of antiseptic filling the air.

A nurse handed her a sterile towel. She dried each arm carefully.

The gown came next unfolded and tied behind. Then gloves snapped into place, sealing her hands inside.

On the table, Olivia lay still. A nurse gently cleaned her lower belly with cold iodine, moving in widening circles, then covered her with blue surgical drapes, leaving only the surgical site exposed.

Everything was set.

Alessia’s hands shook a little as she reached for the surgical instruments. She glanced at the clock.

4:30 a.m.

She looked at the team and cleared her throat. “Surgical timeout. Let’s confirm.”

The room fell silent.

“Patient: Olivia Matthews,” the nurse began, voice calm. “Age: 27. Pregnant, approximately 8 weeks. Came in with vaginal bleeding and abdominal pain following reported sexual activity. Ultrasound shows a subchorionic hemorrhage with active bleeding. Her vitals are unstable. There’s a high risk of miscarriage.”

Alessia’s jaw tightened slightly. ‘Following sexual activity’ That phrase echoed in her mind.

“Surgical site: lower abdomen. Estimated time: 90 minutes,” the nurse finished.

Alessia looked around. “Does anyone have any concerns before we start?”

No one spoke.

“Scalpel,” she said.

A nurse handed it over, and Alessia took it with steady hands. Her eyes focused as the surgery began.

Alessia moved quickly, making the first incision with steady hands, even though her thoughts were spinning.

Olivia. The woman who stole her husband. The woman he now called his wife.

And here she was… saving her life.

“Pulse is dropping!”

“Stay calm,” Alessia said firmly. “Push epinephrine. Get the defibrillator ready, just in case.”

The tension in the room climbed. The monitor beeped slower. Alessia pressed down hard on Olivia’s abdomen.

“Stay with me,” she muttered, her mask hiding the sweat on her face.

She refused to let this woman die. Not in front of her.

Because if she did… Klein would never forgive himself. And somehow, Alessia didn’t want him to carry that weight.

“BP is rising!” the nurse shouted.

Everyone let out a breath.

Alessia worked faster, more focused than ever.

Minutes felt like hours.

“She’s stable,” she said at last.

Her body relaxed slightly as she placed the final tool on the tray. She stepped back, chest rising and falling fast. “That was close.”

"I'm leaving now." She muttered and the door opened gently. Alessia walked towards it but stopped when she came face to face with another nurse. "Doctor… the man outside keeps asking for updates."

Alessia nodded once and walked out of the room.

There he was, Klein. Leaning against the wall, hands in his hair, eyes red.

The moment he saw her, he rushed over. “Doctor! Please… how is she?”

Alessia looked at him for a moment.

She didn’t say yes. She didn’t say no.

“They’re both alive,” she said, and turned to leave. But then she paused.

“Next time, don’t be so rough with a pregnant woman.”

Then she walked away her tears finally falling.

****

Alessia arrived home in silence. She walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the object resting on the blanket...her wedding ring.

She had taken it off before the surgery. But now she couldn’t bring herself to put it back on her finger.

The ring no longer felt like love. It felt like a lie, bondage.

She reached for her phone and checked the time. It was already past 6 a.m. She hadn’t slept a second, but she wanted to hear from Klein so she called him

He answered after a few rings.

“Hello,” she said softly.

But before she could say anything more, his cold voice came through. “I’m busy, Alessia. I won’t be home until tonight. I might not pick up again.”

Then the line went dead.

“Klein…” Alessia stared at her phone, stunned.

Three years of marriage. Three years of sacrifice. Three years of loyalty.

And now, it ended like it meant nothing at all.

She gave a small, bitter smile and stood up slowly. “That’s it then,” she whispered.

She walked into the bathroom and took a quiet shower. When she was done, she put on something simple and left the house. She hadn’t slept, but sleep wasn’t coming anyway. There were things she needed to get done.

It was 8 a.m.

She had made her decision.

.....

By afternoon, Alessia stood outside the company’s tall glass building. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside with confidence.

She hadn’t gone far when she spotted the man she had come to see. He stood near the glass balcony, casually conversing with his secretary outside his office.

She stepped aside, hiding behind a wide pillar near the corridor, waiting. A few minutes later, the secretary walked off with some other staff.

As soon as they disappeared, Alessia stepped out and followed the man toward his office.

But when she stepped inside, he was gone.

"Did he vanish?" She wondered.

She was about to leave when a faint voice caught her attention from beyond the office. A connecting room?

Curious, she dropped her bag and stepped in.

The space was quiet and luxuriously furnished. She paused when she saw him standing shirtless near a wardrobe, likely in the middle of changing.

She blinked in surprise. He was toned, far more than she had expected from the man she’d only seen on posters and in online interviews.

He didn’t notice her at first or maybe pretended not to.

She crept closer, her steps soundless, her hand slowly reaching out toward his bare back...

But just before her fingers could touch him, he spun abruptly and caught her wrist mid-air.

His grip was firm but not rough...Then his eyes met hers.

And suddenly, something in his face shifted as if surprised to see her.

“Aren’t you Klein Johnson’s wife? What are you doing here?” he asked, still holding her wrist gently.

Alessia’s lips didn’t shake. Her voice didn’t falter.

She knew who he was—Miguel Smith. Klein’s business rival. The two men couldn’t stand each other, and everyone in the industry knew it. That was part of the reason she was here.

“Will you sleep with me?” she asked, as if it were the most ordinary request in the world.

Miguel stared at her for a moment, clearly caught off guard. The infamous womanizer, yet one notorious for avoiding married women, studied her face like he was trying to decipher a riddle.

Then he gave a small, almost unreadable smile.

“What took you so long to come to me?” he muttered under his breathe.

Before she could process his words, he leaned down and claimed her lips without warning.

Alessia froze, caught off guard.

Was this really Miguel Smith? The man known for drawing boundaries with women like her?

Then why… was he kissing her like she was something he’d waited a lifetime to taste?