Chapter 1

I didn't expect to run into my ex when I was at my absolute lowest.

When I was in the lobby earlier, I saw my attending physician's name on the screen—Patrick Hayes. And for a moment, my mind completely shut down.

No way… This couldn't be happening.

Still, I tried to reassure myself. In a city this big, it wasn't unusual to run into a doctor with the same name.

But the moment we locked eyes in the exam room, my heart sank.

Neat and unassuming, Patrick wore a white coat that made patients trust him instantly. He was the head of OB-GYN at one of the city's top hospitals. So, who else could he be but my ex?

"Valerie Carter, right? What seems to be the problem?" he asked in a businesslike tone, his slender fingers curling around a pen.

Perfect. We had been broken up for barely two months, and he could already act like he didn't know me. He was truly ruthless.

Granted, what I had said when we broke up had been way crueler than anything he was doing now. My exact words had been, "Patrick Hayes, after today, the only way I'd even consider seeing you again is if you were lying in a hospital bed, begging me to."

Now, they had come back to haunt me. We were really meeting again in a hospital.

But this time, I was at his mercy. He was the doctor, and I was just a patient waiting for my fate to be decided.

Forget about gracing him with a visit. His schedule was completely booked, and I couldn't even snag a single slot myself.

Ultimately, my mom had to fork out double the usual price and go through all kinds of trouble just to get an appointment from a scalper.

Just moments ago, I overheard a group of young women leaving the clinic, whispering excitedly about how handsome the doctor was.

According to them, the social media hype wasn't an exaggeration. They didn't even need a prescription; just seeing him in person was enough. He was devastatingly handsome, the kind of face that made them feel like they could live decades longer just to admire it.

At the time, I was curious to see for myself. Was everyone named Patrick Hayes that good-looking?

Now that I had seen him, "devastating" was the right word. But I wasn't referring to his looks. I meant myself.

I was usually sharp-tongued. However, the moment I stepped into the exam room, it was like my voice had been stolen. I couldn't say a word.

My mom, of course, didn't notice a thing. She had no idea about the tension simmering between Patrick and me. Instead, she started rattling off my symptoms at full volume.

"Dr. Hayes, she hasn't had her period in two months! Either she's pregnant, or something's seriously wrong. You have to check her thoroughly!"

Please. At this level of awkwardness, I wished the floor would just swallow me whole.

"Alright, ma'am. We'll take it one step at a time," Patrick replied.

With patients, he was genuinely kind, calm, and reassuring. His words immediately put my mom at ease.

Then, Patrick lowered his head to scribble in my chart. I clearly saw him write, "Possible pregnancy. Period delayed. No break between relationships and already pregnant with someone else's child."

Hold on… Was that even a proper medical note?

A beat later, he asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

It was a standard gynecology question. Any time a patient had period problems, the doctor would ask about it.

But before I could speak, my mom jumped in. "Yes, she does! And they're doing great. They're absolutely smitten with each other!"

"Have you taken a pregnancy test?" Patrick asked again.

"Not yet," my mom answered immediately. "The moment I realized her period was late, I rushed her here. Appointments these days are nearly impossible to get."

"I see."