The following morning, Kristina woke with a dry throat. She pushed herself upright with effort, intent on getting a glass of water.

A dull soreness lingered through her back and limbs, and fragments of the night before surged back into her thoughts.

She faintly remembered climbing onto a man and tugging off his clothes, only for him to lift her up and drop her straight into the bathtub.

Water had splashed across her body, cool and invigorating.

Pressing her fingers to her temple, Kristina hesitated to acknowledge the truth that she had spent the night with a male escort.

In her mind, the man's face gradually came into focus, stirring an odd sense of recognition.

Still, she had no luxury to dwell on it. The smartest move now was to leave at once.

The outfit she had worn the previous night was no longer suitable, so she pulled the blanket around herself, planning to locate a robe.

The moment her feet touched the floor, the door swung open.

A man stepped inside, a paper bag held in his hand.

Clad in an impeccably tailored suit, he carried himself with effortless poise and command, entirely unlike the sort of male escort who lingered in nightclubs and survived by sleeping with clients.

"You're awake." His gaze rested on her for a brief moment, and his voice emerged low, calm, and faintly alluring. "I brought fresh clothes. They've already been washed and dried. Change into them."

He placed the paper bag beside the bed and, without pausing, turned and walked out of the room.

Those few seconds were enough for Kristina to recognize the familiar face. Braeden.

In the family photograph taken at the Cooper estate, he had stood at the outermost edge, yet he remained the most striking and unforgettable figure in the entire portrait.

So the man she had slept with the previous night had not been a male escort but Braeden instead?

The realization only made the situation more difficult for her to accept.

She wanted no further connection with anyone from the Cooper family.

Inside the paper bag lay a simple dress along with a set of underwear.

To her surprise, the size suited her perfectly.

She dressed quickly. When she opened the door and stepped outside, she saw Braeden seated in the living room, casually scrolling through something on his tablet.

Soft morning light settled over his sharply defined features, outlining the hard angle of his jaw. His appearance was strikingly attractive and undeniably sensual, yet a faint aura of danger lingered around him.

On the gentle rise of his Adam's apple, the bite marks remained clearly visible, tinted red, their contrast oddly vivid.

"Braeden..." she greeted in a low voice.

His eyes darkened slightly, and a faint, unreadable smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "So you recognized me?"

Kristina nodded, then hurriedly shook her head. "Last night, I didn't know it was you."

She quickly added, "I was drunk. It was only an accident. We're both adults, after all. There's no need to make a big deal out of it."

Braeden leaned back against the couch. Although his posture appeared loose and unrestrained, an indefinable presence around him made others feel uneasy.

"You're surprisingly broad-minded," he teased. "You slept with your husband's uncle, yet you behaved as though nothing occurred."

For the first time, Kristina found herself unable to decipher someone's thoughts or intentions. A trace of coldness settled over her expression.

"I'm already preparing to divorce Matthew..."

Kristina stopped there. The lingering fog from her hangover finally lifted from her mind.

Only then did she realize the man she had truly married was Braeden.

A trace of warmth returned to her gaze; the purpose behind it was perfectly clear.

"What happened last night will stay between us. No one else will hear a word," she said quickly. "But there's something I need you to agree to."

Her abrupt shift in tone made his brows knit faintly together. "Go ahead," he replied.

"Please come to the courthouse at three this afternoon. I'll be waiting there."

Once the words left her mouth, she gave him no opportunity to refuse. Lifting the edge of her dress, she rushed out of the room.

The moment she stepped out of the hotel, her phone rang. Mabel was calling.

"Kristina, where did you disappear to last night? I kept calling you, but you never answered. All I got was a message saying you were leaving. Didn't any of those eight escorts catch your interest?"

Kristina glanced at her phone and confirmed that she had indeed sent a reply, though the details escaped her memory. She dismissed the matter with a vague response.

Mabel had her own concerns and did not pursue the subject. "Can you come to Wellness Hospital? There's a complicated patient here, and the specialists we brought in can't manage it. The family is already causing a commotion."

Wellness Hospital belonged to Kristina, though Mabel had been in charge of running it for the past three years. If it were not something she truly could not resolve, she would never have disturbed Kristina.

"Alright. I'll be there in fifteen minutes," Kristina answered.

After three years, Kristina finally slipped back into surgical scrubs, and an unfamiliar ease settled over her, as though she had finally stepped back into her true self.

The operation lasted two hours, and everything went flawlessly.

Once it ended, Kristina quietly left through the side exit.

Mabel, who had observed the entire procedure through the video feed, lifted her thumb in praise. "Looks like you haven't lost your edge at all, Mr. Kirk. You're still a brilliant physician."

Kristina shot her a glance. "Cut the Kristina cast her a sideways look. "Enough with the compliments. When did I ever lose my edge?"

"Never!" Mabel laughed, looping her arm through Kristina's and blinking at her with playful mischief. "There's another thing. Someone posted an offer on the internal network—fifty million for Mr. Kirk to perform a heart surgery. Want to guess who it is?"

For three years of marriage, Kristina had poured all her effort into being the perfect wife.

During that time, the identity she used as the doctor known as "Mr. Kirk" had long been inactive.

Now that she had returned, the dealings on the internal network would naturally resume as well.

"Who?" Kristina asked.

"Matthew!"

Mabel said, "Matthew has already delivered the complete medical files. The patient who needs the cardiac operation is Zoe. Kristina, will you accept this case?"

Five million? A faint, mocking smile crept across Kristina's lips. Matthew certainly wasn't stingy with the payment.

Before she could settle on an answer, she noticed Matthew stepping out of the chief cardiologist's office with Zoe cradled in his arms, worry written plainly across his face.

The way he supported her so carefully, along with the soft concern lingering in his eyes, caused the chill in Kristina's gaze to deepen.

If his devotion to Zoe ran that deep, then fifty million was clearly nowhere near enough.

"Tell him to increase the offer. I'd like to see just how far he's willing to go."

After speaking, Kristina turned around and started walking away.

Matthew had already noticed her. His expression darkened at once. "Kristina, haven't you stirred up enough problems already? You injured Zoe's uncle last night, and her heart condition has flared up because of it. Yet you still have the nerve to chase me all the way here. What exactly are you trying to accomplish?"

Kristina had already removed her doctor's coat. With one hand tucked casually into her pocket, she regarded him with a cool, indifferent look. "You think too highly of yourself. I already asked for a divorce, yet you're still coming after me like this. Anyone watching would assume you're hopelessly obsessed with me."

Matthew had never imagined that the quiet and obedient woman he remembered would suddenly speak with such biting sharpness.

Taken by surprise, he found himself unable to respond for a moment. His expression hardened.

When he looked at her again, not the slightest hint of warmth or affection remained in her eyes. In its place was a cold, unyielding hostility.

The longer he watched her, the more guarded and confrontational she appeared.

That change only fueled his irritation further, and without realizing it, his hold tightened.

Zoe grimaced in pain and sensed that something was wrong.

Her gaze toward Kristina turned noticeably colder, and she let out a faint cough.

"Kristina, I know my presence makes you uncomfortable, but if you're angry, you should take it out on me. Why did you have to injure my uncle so severely? The doctors have already finished the medical injury evaluation. If my uncle chooses to file charges, you could end up in prison. I truly don't want this incident to damage Cooper Group's or Matthew's reputation. If you apologize to my uncle and ask him to forgive you, I'll put in a good word for you for Matthew's sake."

Every word she spoke sounded as though it was entirely for Matthew's benefit. With her gentle and considerate demeanor, she quickly eased his anger and made him feel even more convinced that Kristina had crossed the line.

"You should thank Zoe right now for being so magnanimous," he demanded.

Mabel could no longer remain silent. "Matthew, have you lost your mind? It was clearly Alec who shamelessly harassed Kristina, yet you're still defending him?"

Recognizing who Mabel was, Matthew chose not to argue with her.

Instead, he looked at Kristina with growing displeasure. Distrust clouded his eyes, and nothing in his posture hinted that he meant to shield her.

"If you had stayed at home, none of this would have happened. You wore such a revealing skirt and walked into a bar. Zoe's uncle had no idea who you were. Naturally, he would assume you were some kind of call girl. If trouble came from it, that responsibility lies with the way you presented yourself, so stop pushing the blame onto others."

Mabel's fury boiled over until her breathing turned ragged. "Kristina, let me teach him a lesson."

But Kristina was faster. She spun around and lifted her hand. Two crisp smacks rang out one after the other, striking left and right with swift, merciless force.

Matthew never even managed to move aside. Both hits landed squarely on his face, and the skin there instantly flushed a swollen shade of red.

He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, disbelief written all over him. "Have you completely lost your senses?"

Zoe hurried forward, anxiously inspecting his face with obvious concern. "Kristina, how could you strike someone in public like this?"

What Kristina despised most was that delicate, pitiful performance Zoe always put on to gather sympathy. Her eyes sharpened as they fell on her. "Say another word, and I'll slap you too."

Zoe flinched as if frightened and quickly shifted closer to Matthew, clinging tightly to him.

He stared at the woman who had once devoted herself to him in every conceivable way, yet had just struck him twice without a shred of hesitation.

The thought simply refused to sink in.

A chill crept over his features, his expression hardening into something far more menacing. He was on the verge of confronting her when the phone in his pocket abruptly began to ring.

The call was coming from the Cooper family.