What Is The Setting Of 'Cutting For Stone'?

When Stella Carpenter transfers money to her brother without my permission for the third time, I decide that it's time to give up. I quit my high-paying job and laze around at home all day, gaming and waiting to be fed. It only takes three days for Stella to panic. She points at me and asks what the hell I'm doing. We have bills and our daughter's tuition to pay—we need money for everything! Oh, so she does realize that we spend a lot on our family. Why does she keep taking my money to give to her brother, then?

After five years of marriage, my husband, Abel Brooks goes on a business trip that lasts half a year. When he returns, he brings his first love, Cora Garrett, back. She's already three months pregnant. Abel says that life is tough for her and wants her to move in with us temporarily. I object, and he tells me to know my place. His tone is scornful—it seems he's forgotten that the villa we live in was one of my wedding gifts. He and his family have leeched off me all this while. This time, I'm going to stop providing for them. I smile and call my assistant. "Draft a divorce agreement for me now. To think a live-in son-in-law would have the nerve to bring his mistress home like this."

My husband falls for my cousin at first sight while still married to me. They conspire to make me fall from grace. I end up with a ruined reputation and family. I can't handle the devastation, so I decide to drag them to hell with me as we're on the way to get the divorce finalized. Unexpectedly, all three of us are reborn. As soon as we open our eyes, my husband asks me for a divorce so he can be with my cousin. They immediately get together and leave the country. Meanwhile, I remain and further my medical studies. I work diligently. Six years later, my ex-husband has turned into an internationally renowned artist, thanks to my cousin's help. Each of his paintings sells for astronomical prices, and he's lauded by many. On the other hand, I'm still working at the hospital and saving lives. A family gathering brings us three back together. It looks like life has treated him well as he holds my cousin close and mocks me contemptuously. However, he flies off the handle when he learns I'm about to marry someone else. "How can you get together with someone else when all I did was make a dumb mistake?"

At my mother's funeral, I caught my husband passionately kissing a sales associate at the local department store. When I confronted him about it, he turned the tables and accused me of being paranoid and delusional. Later, I discovered she had been calling my husband "daddy" in their text messages. The betrayal left me emotionally numb, and I decided to step aside, giving them my blessing. What I did not expect was discovering that she was not just involved with my husband—she had been sleeping around with multiple men. When my husband finally learned the truth, he came crawling back to me with tears streaming down his face, begging for forgiveness. By then, I had already moved on with my life and wanted nothing to do with him.

"Shit!" I hissed as Jide eased into me and teased my core. My fingers made a burning path up his toned back, as I gripped him hard, urging him to go faster. And as we made sweet love into the night, I could not help but wonder how I had fallen. Fallen so deeply in love with him. **** Raised singlehandedly by her ruthless grandmother, after her father died and her mother eloped with a lover, Ivory Stone grew to be a strong and independent CEO who took over her family's legacy and company. She's had everyone and everything answer to her; and would definitely not take 'no' for an answer. And in came Jide. The farmer with the heart of gold who had little to nothing to his name. He was charming, pure, and he defied her in every possible way, testing her limit and questioning everything's she'd been taught. The minute she locked eyes with Jide, she least expected he was what she needed to turn her world upside down. She fell and she fell deeply.

"Look, if I told you I loved you, it would be a lie," I said to him. "But I love you, Anika," he responded, his eyes filled with sadness. "I don't feel the same way. I am content with my life as it is. I don't believe in love, and I value my freedom too much to give it up," I explained to him, hoping he would understand. "Please, just give me a chance. I promise I'll make you happy," he pleaded. "Stop..." I interrupted, feeling exhausted by his continuous pleading. "I'll do whatever you ask, I'll even change-" "Just stop!" I finally yelled, unable to tolerate any more of his words. "Why would you love me when I clearly stated my aversion to relationships?" I screamed in frustration. "I thought we could give our friendship a try, but you ruined it all by falling in love with me. Let's not see each other again," I firmly stated and walked away. *** Anika Rebecca Downs, a 23-year-old woman, appears to have it all. She possesses beauty, a charismatic figure, wealth, popularity, and all the good things one could desire. However, there is one crucial thing missing from her life – love. This absence stems from her past experiences of being used by men who were drawn to her wealth. Fed up with the constant disappointment, Anika vowed to never fall in love again. But what happens when Kelvin Birtch enters the picture? Kelvin was an appealing man who works for her company. At first, she tries to deny the growing attraction she feels towards him. However, how long can she suppress her feelings? And what will happen when her manipulating ex resurfaces in her life? To uncover the answers to these questions and more, delve into the rest of the book... :)