7 Years Later

I was playing with the big diamond ring on my finger. Ethan had just proposed to me. I couldn't have asked for a better man and a father for my daughter. Ethan kept to his promise. Two years after I left, Ethan moved to New York too to establish his own company. And he kept to his promise of never abandoning me. He took up the role of a father to my daughter, and within five years of his company going public, he had become the richest man in New York. And gradually, I had fallen deeply in love with him.

“The award for the best heart surgeon goes to Meadow Enrique!” The crowd erupted in loud cheers at the announcement.

My six-year-old daughter had run up to the stage with a bouquet of roses, with Ethan following close behind her as I received my award. I deserved the award.I had performed the most dangerous and difficult surgery in the history of medicine.

The next day, my face was plastered on all newspapers and TV channels. My hard work had finally paid off.

I smiled proudly as I stood in my office, watching the replay of yesterday’s award presentation on my phone.

I wasn’t the same Meadow people once knew, the helpless pregnant teen who was betrayed, the Meadow who ran away from the place she once called home. Now I carried an empire on my shoulders. I was now the best surgeon in the country, and it’s all thanks to Ethan and the hospital’s director who believed in me.

The last I heard of my parents was when Ethan first came to visit me. He said my parents were still working for the Andersons. When he wanted to tell me about Matt, I told him not to. I don’t care about him, nor do I care about what was going on in his life.

I wore a black suit with pants and a pair of high-heeled stilettos Ethan had given me on my birthday. My hair was perfectly tied up in a bun. And my makeup was flawless—my stylist and makeup artist were always on standby. My schedule was always packed with constant meetings and never-ending conferences. I had become a role model in the medical profession.

“Doctor Enrique.” My troublesome personal assistant, who had also become my bestfriend, called my attention.

“Yes, Alison, what is it?” I asked, dropping my phone on my desk.

“You won’t like this,” she said, handing me a file. “You have been invited to the city to perform a Thoracic Aortic Dissection Repair on a patient. They are willing to pay ten times your rate.”

“No,” I answered quickly without going through the file. “I’m never going back to that place, and they should look for another doctor. I’m not available.”

“But you are the only one who can perform the surgery,” my assistant argued.

“No, Alison, I’m not going back there. And why do you have a file already prepared for this? You know I would never consent to it, even if they are paying me a hundred times my rate.”

“Meadow, I’m not saying you are wrong for not wanting to go back to the L.A. I know you have a lot of bad memories there. But what about the innocent patient that’s about to die if you don’t perform his surgery? Have you forgotten the oath you took to save lives? You are not going back for those people that offended you, you are going back to save the life of a patient.”

“And I’m doing exactly that—I'm saving lives here too. And besides, my schedule is filled.”

“Your schedule for the next six months has been cleared.”

“What? What do you mean my schedule for the next six months has been cleared?”

“Yes, Meadow, the hospital director has cleared your schedule for the next six months.”

“Why would he do that?” I asked angrily.

“According to the director, the patient that needed the Thoracic Aortic Dissection Repair is his uncle. You really have to do this for him.”

I sat down on my chair, defeated. No doubt the director had played a big role in my success, and he’s one person I could never refuse.

“At least take a look at the file of the patient.”

My fingers froze on the page as I saw the name of the patient: Adam Anderson? The file almost slipped from my hand. My heartbeat thundered in my ears as memories I had buried for seven years clawed their way back to the surface. Matt’s father. The man whose son almost destroyed my life.

“No, I’m sorry, I can’t perform the operation. I will speak to the director myself,” I said loudly as I threw the file on my desk and walked out of my office angrily, with Alison hot on my heels.

The director was on a call when I walked in. He gestured for me to have a seat. I waited for him to finish his call.

“Miss Enrique, I was about to send for you now. There’s a patient that requires your attention in the L.A.”

“Yes, sir, my assistant already told me about that, and I have also gone through the patient’s file. But I’m sorry, sir, I won’t be able to perform the surgery on that patient.”

“Please, Meadow, you are the only one that can perform this surgery, and you know it. You are the best surgeon in the world, and the patient in question is my uncle.”

Faced with the director’s unending pleading, I had no choice but to accept.

“Fine, but I will need to discuss this with my fiancé, and only after that will I make my final decision.”

“Sure, you can, but you need to be in the city tomorrow. The surgery is already scheduled for the day after tomorrow. A private jet will be sent to pick you up tomorrow. Everything you need will be arranged for you, including your accommodations.”

I made a call to Ethan to meet me at home immediately after I left the director’s office. Aurora rushed to hug me immediately I opened the door, her little hands wrapping around my neck tightly.

“I miss you, Mummy.”

“Mummy missed you too, baby,” I said, giving her a kiss on her chubby cheeks as she giggled.

“And me? You didn’t miss me at all?” Ethan asked, coming out of the kitchen. He was wearing an apron.

I smiled at him. “Come here, sweetheart. I miss you too,” I said, kissing him on his lips while my daughter clapped for us.

After dinner, I explained the situation to Ethan. I was expecting him to object, and that would have been a good reason for me not to go back to the city.

“You are a doctor, and saving lives is your duty. I won’t stop you from doing that. Aurora and I will join you in the L.A once I’m done with my project here,” Ethan said, caressing my cheek.

“Also, you will stay in the Enrique Mansion, not some hotel. You will be very comfortable there. And my parents are there to protect you, so I won’t have to worry much about you.”

I took a sharp breath and nodded. What would I have done without you? I love you so much." I said grabbing his arm.

I left the hospital two days later. Ethan had insisted I use his private jet instead of the one the hospital had prepared for me. He also hired four bodyguards to protect me. I knew he was scared Matt might try to harm me.

As the jet landed, something stirred inside me. I was certain that Matt would spew nonsense and try to stop me from performing the surgery on his father the moment he saw me. If that happened, I wouldn’t mind flying back to New York tomorrow.

The senior doctor of Avila Hospital and Matt Anderson were already waiting for me at the airport. They were holding a cardboard sign with: WELCOME TO NEW YORK, DOCTOR MEADOW ENRIQUE, boldly written on it.

Matt had grown into a fine young man, though he was a spitting image of his father. He was broader now, more like a man than the crazy teen I remembered.

“Welcome, Doctor Meadow. It’s a great honor to have the great Doctor Meadow Enrique in New York—” Doctor Zane said as he shook my hand.

“The pleasure is mine, but no need for the formalities.”

“Alright, this is Mr. Anderson. His father is the one you will be operating on,” Doctor Zane said.

Matt stretched out his hand for a handshake but suddenly froze. “Meadow? You are Doctor Meadow Enrique?” he asked in disbelief, his hand still outstretched.

“Nice to meet you too, Mr. Anderson,” I said, shaking his hand briefly. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself.

“Do you know each other?” Doctor Zane asked curiously, looking at our faces.

“No!”

“Yes!”

“No,” I repeated. “I don’t know Mr. Anderson. This is my first time meeting him.”

“Alright. We have made all the arrangements for your stay. Let me take you to your accommodation,” Doctor Zane said, trying to carry my bag. Matt was still looking at me in shock.

“Doctor Zane, that won’t be necessary. My fiancé has already made all the arrangements. I will be staying in his house.”

“You have a fiancé?” Matt asked, frowning.

“Mr. Anderson, I don’t think you have any business with my personal life. And besides, I’m here to perform your father’s surgery, not to discuss my personal life,” I said, shooting Matt an angry look. I turned to Doctor Zane. “I will see you in the hospital tomorrow. I want every detail about the patient ready by then.”

Ethan’s parents walked into the airport, and his mom gave me a tight hug. “Welcome home, sweetheart. I prepared all your favorite dishes,” Mrs. Enrique said excitedly.

“Ah, ah. You mean we prepared her favorite dishes,” Mr. Enrique said smiling, as he gave me a hug too.

“Thank you, Mom and Dad.” I turned to Doctor Zane. “I will see you at the hospital tomorrow morning.” I ignored Matt, who was still staring at me.

At the Enrique mansion, Ethan’s parents hadn’t lied about cooking several dishes for me. They made sure I tasted every single one of them.

After dinner, I headed back to my room to prepare for tomorrow’s surgery. Doctor Zane said that the cancer was already spreading through Mr. Anderson’s brain cells, and he had been slipping in and out of a coma, so the surgery needed to happen as soon as possible.

I was already missing Ethan and my daughter. Though we had spoken before I went downstairs for dinner, I still felt like talking to them again. Just as I was about to pick up my phone and dial Ethan’s number, a call suddenly came in from an unknown number. I hesitated before answering.

“Hello, who is this?” I asked. But there was silence from the other end. “Hello, is anybody there?” I asked. Still silence.

I ended the call and kept the phone under my pillow. I said my night prayers and was about to go to bed when the phone rang again. I checked the screen, and it was the same unknown caller.

“Hello, who is this and why aren’t you saying anything?” I asked angrily.

“Meadow.”

I froze. Matt? How did he get my number, and why is he calling me this late at night? “Mr. Anderson, I made it clear in the contract that the patient’s family should not contact me. If they want any information, they should reach out to Doctor Zane.”

“Relax, Meadow. I’m not calling you about my dad. I just wanted to talk to you.”

What did he want to say to me after all these years? “Mr. Anderson, I don’t think we have anything to talk about.”

“Meadow, you can’t act like this isn’t strange! You disappeared seven years ago, only to reappear today as Doctor Meadow Enrique. What is going on? Are you really Doctor Meadow Enrique, or did you come back to New York for something else? Did you come with all this charade of being a doctor just to get my attention?”

How delusional can he be? “You seriously think I came back here just for you? Are you stupid or something?”

“Watch your mouth, Meadow, or else—”

“Or else what, Mr. Anderson?” I didn’t let him complete the sentence. “I think you have forgotten that you and your family were the ones who begged me to come back to New York and perform your dad’s surgery. In fact, you even paid double the amount I charged for the surgery. Is this explanation enough to satisfy you?”

He was breathing heavily on the phone now. “What about the baby? You were pregnant the day you ran away from New York.”

His question caught me off guard. I never expected him to ask that. “What baby are you talking about, Mr. Anderson? There was never a baby. I got my period that night—don’t you remember? So why are you asking me about a baby that never even existed in the first place?”

“Don’t call me again, or else I will abandon your father’s surgery and fly back to New York,” I said and ended the call before he could say another word.

When I arrived at the hospital the next morning, Doctor Zane, Matt, and his mother, along with my parents, were already waiting for me in the hallway.

“Good morning, Doctor Meadow. Your new office is ready, and the files of Mr. Anderson’s medical history are also ready,” Doctor Zane said smiling.

My mother rushed to hug me, but the bodyguards stopped her just in time.

“Step aside, she’s my daughter,” my mother said angrily. “Meadow, tell them I'm your mom.”

“Sorry, ma’am, we are following Mr. Enrique’s orders to keep Doctor Meadow safe,” the bodyguard said, still blocking her path.

My mother did not argue further. My father just stood in a corner looking at me.

“Meadow, it’s so nice to see you again,” Mrs. Anderson said smiling.

“It’s Doctor Meadow,” I corrected her. “And please, you all don’t need to be here. I only need one relative of the patient who knows about his medical history.”

“I will stay, Mom, and you and Dad can go home,” Matt said, patting his mother’s shoulder.

There’s no way I’m allowing Matt to stay in the hospital, especially after last night's call. “Mrs. Anderson, I think it will be better for your mother to stay.”

“My mom is not strong enough to handle any stress. I will stay. Mom, you can go back home now. I will keep you updated on Dad.”

“Fine, if you want to stay, you know the rules,” I said, looking at him. He nodded. I turned to Doctor Zane. “Please lead me to the office.” I did not bother to look at my parents one more time as Doctor Zane led me to my new office, and Matt followed closely behind.

The office was well furnished—it was exactly the way I had requested it. It was also on the top floor. There was an X-ray machine, and two interns were on standby.

“Here are the files,” Doctor Zane said, placing two folders on the desk.

I glanced through the file. I kept the questions brief with Matt, whose eyes hadn’t left my body. If he took too long to answer a question, I just cut him off.

The bad news is that the cancer has already spread to half of his brain. The good news is, I can perform the surgery.

I saw the relief on Doctor Zane and Matt’s faces. “It’s a difficult surgery, and recovery takes time. But the most important thing right now is that the surgery needs to be done tomorrow morning.”

“Why tomorrow? I thought you were carrying out the surgery today? It’s just a simple surgery,” Matt asked, looking worried.

“Mr. Anderson, it’s not a simple procedure like you just said. The cancer has already spread to half of his brain. His chances of survival are now 60/40. And I need to examine the patient too.”

“Then get to it. Why are you still wasting time? We already paid you more than enough,” Matt yelled.

“Doctor Zane, please get him out of here, or else I don’t mind flying back to New York today,” I said angrily, glaring at Matt.

“Mr. Anderson, please wait outside. She’s the only doctor that can perform the surgery on your dad. If she gets angry and leaves, your father will die,” Doctor Zane said, pulling Matt’s hand.

“Fine, I will go out on my own,” Matt said, looking at me one last time before leaving.

After talking to Doctor Zane for almost two hours, we finally came out of the office. Matt was still pacing outside the door restlessly. I almost felt sorry for him.

“Take me to Mr. Anderson’s ward. I want to examine him and prepare him for the surgery tomorrow,” I said, looking at Matt.

He led me to a private ward. Mr. Anderson was breathing through oxygen. Several machines were hooked to his head and body. I examined him. Though he was unconscious, he was stable enough for the surgery.

“I will be back by 6 a.m. tomorrow and have him prepared for surgery by then. That will be all for today,” I said, walking out of the room.

“Thanks, Doctor Enrique. I will walk you outside,” Doctor Zane offered.

“No need. I already have my bodyguards with me. It’s not like anybody would want to kidnap me,” I joked, smiling at Doctor Zane. “I will see you tomorrow.”

My bodyguards escorted me out of the hospital. Interns and other doctors were lined up along the corridor, trying to take pictures with me. I stopped and allowed a few of them before the bodyguards led me out.

“Meadow, please wait!” Matt called, running after me.

“Mr. Anderson, I thought I made myself clear last night?”

“I know, but please, can we talk? Maybe have lunch somewhere—it’s almost lunchtime.”

Before I could answer him, two kids—a boy and a girl—ran to Matt. They should be about the same age as Fiona.

“Daddy!” they yelled as Matt hugged them.

“Daddy!” I looked at Matt in surprise, and that was when I realized he was wearing a ring on his finger. “I thought you never wanted kids, and you’re married too?” I asked, trying to hide the shock in my voice.

A woman in a very tight red gown walked to Matt and gave him a kiss on his cheek. I looked at her closely. “Annabel? Matt was married to my bully? And they even had two kids?”

Annabel turned to me. “Ain’t you going to introduce me to your wife and your cute kids?” I asked Matt, smiling. He looked surprised but quickly snapped out of it.

“Ah, yes. Baby, this is Doctor Meadow Enrique. She’s the doctor that will perform Dad’s surgery,” he said in a calm voice. “And Doctor Meadow, this is my wife, Annabel.”

Annabel’s eyes lit up as she recognized me. “So you’re that bitch, Meadow the pornstar? I should have recognized you sooner. And do you want to create a new porn video with two?” she asked, pointing at my bodyguards.

“Ouch, your joke is so funny, but I don’t see anyone laughing. I see you’re still a bitch. Anyway, I don’t have time for your rubbish.” I turned to Matt. “Now that your wife and kids are here, you can take them to have lunch.”

“You bitch! What lunch are you talking about? Are you trying to seduce my husband?” Annabel asked furiously.

“Oh please, it’s only you that would want a trash like Matt. Not everyone is like you, and besides, I’m engaged.” I flashed my 24-carat diamond in her face, smiling. “So I don’t need your dear husband.”