Chapter 3

I squeezed a smile. “Be my guest.”

Stepping out of the apartment, I noticed that Nina was already sitting in the front.

Leo had brought Nina along.

If he had already made up his mind, why bother asking for my permission?

Once at the restaurant, Nina and Leo sat across from each other, while I sat next to Leo.

When making the reservation, Leo had gone out of his way to order seafood as main courses, knowing they were my favorite.

When the food was served, Nina threw her hand over her mouth, her face white.

“What’s the matter?’

Leo tensed up.

“I’m sorry… I can’t have seafood. Doctor’s orders.”

She turned to Leo, her voice shaking. “I didn’t mean for this to happen… It just slipped my mind since I was so caught up in the moment.”

I replied indifferently, “It’s okay. Save them for me.”

Nina pulled a troubled look. “But even the smell makes me nauseous…”

She clamped her mouth shut, looking as if she was about to throw up.

Leo snapped his fingers at the server. “Take these back. Replace the course with milder flavors. Absolutely no seafood.”

He didn’t even look at me.

Throughout dinner, Nina kept whining about the cold AC and the loud music.

Leo bent over backward to accommodate her all night, not once checking on me.

As we walked out, Nina thanked me. “Thank you, Ayla. I got to experience what it’s like to celebrate an anniversary.”

I met her gaze with a hollow grin. “You’re welcome.”

Shifting gears, Nina tugged at Leo’s sleeve, her voice laced with the right amount of anticipation.

“I heard a Broadway show after dinner makes a great date, and tonight happens to be the final performance of La La Land. Leo, I want to make the most of tonight. Will you?”

La La Land was a limited Broadway run, scheduled to close at the end of the month. I’d mentioned to Leo before that I really wanted to see it if we ever found the time. However, we were both always buried in work. Somehow, we could never make the time.

Leo seemed to realize that, too. He glanced at me before uttering hesitantly, “I got the tickets, but there are only two.”

Not wanting to put myself in a position where I had to be chosen, I said, “I still have some urgent work at the hospital, so I should get going.”

Leo’s eyes dimmed. Yet, he seemed relieved.

Before I left, he held my gaze. “Ayla… you really don’t want to go? It’s the last show.”

I shook my head. “You guys can go ahead.”

That was the honest truth.

One of the new dishes that made it to the table contained nuts, which I was allergic to. By the time I made it to the hospital, I showed signs of respiratory distress, frightening my colleagues in the ER.

After getting a shot, I was kept for observation. Then, a commotion ensued.

Leo burst into the ER, carrying Nina in his arms. “She sprained her ankle. Please examine her!”

He was in too much of a rush to notice me in the corner.

My colleague, Christine, went up and performed the examination.

Leo added. “She has terminal medullary cancer. Please run a full body checkup while you’re at it to see if it’s getting worse.”

Christine was stunned. “Terminal medullary cancer?”

Dread washed over Nina as she lay flat on her back. Spotting me, she pointed her finger and voiced her request.

“That won’t be necessary. I just want Ayla to examine me.”

Christine frowned. “Ayla isn’t available today.”

Nina burst into tears. “I knew it! She’s just mad at me for ruining her anniversary. She’s giving me the snub! Just leave me to die!”

I didn’t move a muscle, nor did I say a word.

Leo snapped at me. “Don’t just sit there. Can’t you check on Nina?”

I looked up, meaning to explain that I had only caught my breath. I needed rest after taking the jab.

However, Leo didn’t even give me a chance to speak.

“When have you gotten so petty? Have you forgotten your duty as a doctor?”