"Saving lives should always come first, especially since he got hurt trying to save you. What’s there to hesitate about? I just don’t understand!"

"How could she be so cold-hearted?"

The whispers around me grew louder, a wave of judgment crashing over me.

I sat motionless on the bench, my lips pressed tight, unyielding like a stubborn rock.

When I didn’t respond, Alastor, on the brink of collapse, clung to my pant leg, his grip desperate as he begged.

"Verena, how about this?"

"You go in and save him, and as a token of our gratitude, we’ll transfer the house and the car to your name..."

At the mention of the offer, I finally raised my gaze.

Noticing my expression soften, Alastor’s face lit up with relief, his chest heaving as he pounded it in victory.

"Verena, don’t worry, I swear on it!"

"As long as you save Matias, the house, the car, even all our savings, they’re yours!"

A ripple of astonishment spread through the crowd.

Everyone was moved by the depth of Alastor’s fatherly devotion.

I looked down at him, my thoughts calculating quietly behind my gaze.

The combined worth of his house, car, and savings easily ran into the millions.

Selling my career for that wasn’t the worst trade.

But, I raised my eyes again, my voice softening with a touch of reluctance.

"Alright, I’ll save him. But..."

Alastor’s face brightened instantly, his eyes locked on mine with an eager hope.

I drew out my words, speaking deliberately, as if each syllable weighed on me.

"But you’ll need to sign a contract with me first. Without that, what if you decide to go back on your promise?"

At this, Alastor’s smile faltered, disbelief flashing in his eyes.

Milana couldn’t hold herself back any longer; her voice quivered with raw emotion as she cried out.

"Matias is in critical condition! How can we waste time on a contract?"

"My poor son! How could he end up marrying someone so ungrateful?"

I gave a helpless shrug, my tone unwavering.

"No contract, no surgery."

The crowd murmured again, their voices thick with condemnation.

Some of the more fiery onlookers looked as though they were about to lash out in their frustration.

Just then, another nurse burst through the door, her uniform streaked with blood.

Her voice shook, a mix of shock and urgency in her words.

"The patient just lost consciousness. Before he did, he asked me to deliver a message."

"He told me to stop pressuring Verena. He knows how hard she worked to get this job."

The mention of Matias losing consciousness sent Milana collapsing to the floor, her grief too heavy to bear.

Her face was ashen, her body trembling so violently that words seemed impossible to form.

Tears streamed down Alastor’s face, his pain evident as he dropped to his knees, his head bowing to the ground with such force it seemed he might choke on the weight of his own grief.

Between clenched teeth, he rasped, his words barely escaping.

"His life is on the line. I’ll keep every promise. Just... please..."

I glanced at the elderly couple, their faces etched with worry and exhaustion, and for a brief moment, doubt clouded my mind.

My parents had passed when I was young, and the concept of familial love had always felt distant.

But when I met Matias, things were different. He had introduced me to his parents early on, and their warmth had been something I’d never known.

The Campbells, so kind, so genuine, had never once made me feel inferior because of my background. They had taken me in as one of their own, showing me a care that left an impression I could never forget.

The year I was preparing for my postgraduate exams, Matias, always feeling sorry for me, would often bring over home-cooked meals made by his parents.

Each meal was a feast in itself, four dishes and a soup, perfectly balanced with both meat and vegetables. Milana even took the time to learn how to cook the dishes I loved, always going the extra mile to make me feel at home.

They were warm, kind-hearted people, offering me a love and care that felt like a balm to my soul.

When Matias and I married, I had nothing to my name, no job, no car, no house, and even my tuition fees were covered by the Campbell family.

At the wedding banquet, a few of Matias’s relatives couldn't hide their judgment. Some distant cousins exchanged sharp words and whispered behind my back, looking down on me for what I didn’t have.

Matias’s parents didn’t hold back in the slightest. In front of everyone, they made their stance crystal clear.

"Verena is a good girl, the daughter-in-law we’ve chosen for our family."

"Anyone who dares speak ill of her will never cross the threshold of our house again."

At that time, I was young, uncertain, and overly sensitive. Hearing their words struck a deep chord within me.

At that moment, I made a silent vow to always honor Matias and his parents for the rest of my life.

They had given me something I’d never known before: a complete family and a taste of the kind of love I had longed for.

And now, Alastor and Milana knelt before me, their faces worn with age and desperation. Their eyes pleaded with me, silently begging.

I lowered my gaze, unable to look them in the eye any longer.

The wound on my wrist pulsed painfully, each throb making it hard to catch my breath.

As the elderly couple continued pleading on their knees, Odette rushed to their side, her movements swift and urgent.

"Verena, what are you doing? Not only are you refusing to save your husband, but now you’re trying to take away this elderly couple’s assets?"

"For the sake of money and your job, you’ve completely abandoned your conscience? How disgusting."

With a sharp glance in my direction, she raised her voice, brimming with self-righteousness.

"Don’t waste your breath begging her. I, Odette, will risk my career and reputation to save the patient. Not just because it's my duty as a doctor, but because I still have a conscience!"

Her impassioned words rang through the crowd, sparking applause.

People praised her, lauding her as a model doctor, and at that moment, I felt small and selfish in comparison.

A faint smile curved my lips as I ignored the sharp sting on my wrist and joined in with the applause.

"Then I wish you the best of luck."

Odette shot me a venomous glare, her eyes burning with hate before she turned and walked toward the operating room.

It wasn’t until her figure vanished behind the closed door that I slowly reached for my trembling wrist. Cold sweat beaded on my forehead, and the pain in my body was now more than just physical.

Alastor and Milana, too preoccupied with their worry for Matias, helped each other to their feet and hurried off, determined to gather money for his treatment.

The crowd began to thin, the chatter dying down as people trickled away.

My vision blurred, and my consciousness began to slip away like sand through fingers…

When I finally opened my eyes again, I found myself lying in a hospital bed.

Maevie Yesron, my close colleague, was sitting beside me, her face etched with concern.

"Dr. Scott, you’re finally awake!"

"You’ve been asleep for a whole day and night; you scared us to death."

Still groggy, I propped myself up, surprised at how much time had passed.

Clearing my throat, I spoke, my voice hoarse and weak. "Matias... How is he?"

Maevie hesitated for a moment before responding cautiously.

"Dr. Hewitt spent ten hours fighting to save him. He made it through and is out of danger now."

A weight settled in my chest, and I wasn’t sure whether to feel relief or disappointment.

I threw the covers aside and rushed out of the ward, my heart pounding in my chest.

Behind me, Nurse Maevie’s anxious voice echoed down the hallway.

"Hey, Verena, where are you going?"

"So much happened yesterday! The internet is full of people calling you ungrateful and cold-hearted for not saving your husband!"

"Don’t, don’t go looking for Matias, they’re—"

I ignored her words; my focus locked on the path ahead as I made my way to Matias’s hospital room.

When I pushed the door open, the scene that greeted me was unexpected; the room was filled with people.

Matias sat propped up in bed, his face pale, yet his smile was soft and reassuring.

Alastor and Milana stood at his side, their faces alight with pride as they handed a banner of gratitude to Odette.

The hospital director patted Odette’s shoulder with warm approval, a look of pride spreading across his face.

"Dr. Hewitt showed exceptional courage under pressure and saved a patient on the brink of brain death. When your department head retires, you’ll be the perfect fit to take over."

The door creaked open, drawing everyone’s attention toward me, and I froze mid-step as all eyes turned in my direction.

Matias was the first to notice me. His smile faltered, freezing awkwardly on his face.

"You're awake. Look, Mom even brought our daughter over."

The baby, barely a year old, wailed uncontrollably, her cries filling the room.

I ignored his words, striding in with a steady, deliberate pace.

The director’s frown deepened as his impatience seeped into his tone.

"Verena, with all the negative publicity surrounding you lately, maybe you should take some time off. It’s better not to be here for now."

I glanced briefly at the camera in the middle of the room, broadcasting the entire scene to the world. A faint smile tugged at my lips.

"Negative publicity?"

"Are you referring to the accusations that I’m ungrateful and heartless for not saving my husband? Or the claims that I’m in this for fame and fortune?"

The livestream had originally captured the Campbell family presenting their banner of thanks to Odette. But with my arrival, the viewership had spiked.

The screen flooded with furious comments, each one sharper than the last.

"Isn’t this the patient’s wife? I heard she’s a doctor, yet she refused to save her own husband!"

"I saw the video! Her husband was fighting for his life, and she was just sitting outside, playing games!"

"And it’s because of her that he got into that accident in the first place. How could she be so indifferent? It's disgusting!"

"How could scum like this even deserve to live? She should just die already!"

"What kind of family raises such an ungrateful brat? Her parents should die, too!"

At the sound of my question, Matias’s eyes turned red, and his tears flowed freely. His voice was cold but tinged with bitterness.

"Verena, I understand why you didn’t save me at the time," he began, his words heavy with resentment.

"But after all, I got hurt trying to save you. And now, you haven’t shown a hint of concern for me; you’re more worried about your job, aren’t you?"

His voice cracked, and the words came tumbling out in a rushed torrent.

"Have you ever thought about our daughter? She’s still so young... How could you bear to let her grow up without a father?"

I raised an eyebrow, unable to hide the cold amusement that surfaced.

"Our daughter?" I echoed, my voice a sharp question hanging in the air.

His face turned ashen, though he seemed ready for what was coming. With a slow, deliberate motion, he pulled out a paternity test.

The white paper was stamped with a bright red seal, official, unmistakable.

"I know you’ve never been fond of our child," he began, his voice tinged with bitterness.

"But you can't deny her parentage!"

"Look, it’s all right here in black and white. If she’s not your daughter, then who is she?"

"Don’t you even care about me or about our child?"

The comments on the livestream exploded, scrolling so quickly they blurred together.

I glanced at the view count, a small smile curling on my lips as satisfaction washed over me.

"Care? Of course, I care," I replied, my tone cool and detached.

"Not just about the child; I also have something special for you."