I double over in pain after assisting Adrian Randall with a late-night operation. He immediately carries me to a ward to check on me. However, before he can do that, he receives a call from a patient and hurries off.

That night, I miscarry.

When I come out of the operating theater, I see his childhood friend's social media update. She's shared a photo of her baby bump.

"He hurried to come to my side just because I was lost. You have to treat Adrian well in the future, my darling!"

I rub my belly, which throbs with a dull ache. I don't cry and demand an explanation from Adrian as I would have in the past. Instead, I like the post and apply for a position on the Borderless Medical Assistance Program.

The day I leave, the high and mighty Dr. Randall looks at me with red-rimmed eyes. He asks, "How can you bear to leave me behind?"

When I learned it was a miscarriage, I called Adrian Randall more than ten times. But no one answered.

My best friend, Celeste Logan, a gynecologist, held my hand and comforted me for a long time before I finally agreed to get on the operating table.

Because I had a low tolerance for anesthesia, I woke up in pain several times. Each time, I hoped to see Adrian by my side. But he wasn't there.

It wasn't until after the surgery that he sent a message that read, "Katelyn is my patient. I have a responsibility toward her. I hope you understand."

Every time he left me to deal with Katelyn Russo, he would send me a similar message.

Clutching my stomach, I sat in Celeste's office to rest. I lifted my hand and typed a line of text into our chat: "But this time, I needed you more."

After thinking about it, I deleted it and typed a new message: "Okay, Dr. Randall."

Even though Celeste tried to persuade me to stay in the hospital to rest, I didn't heed her advice. If I did as she suggested, people would soon find out I was pregnant.

The hospital forbade office romance, and on the day that Adrian and I got together, he had already made it clear that I couldn't publicly show affection toward him. To others, we were just colleagues with good chemistry.

I didn't want to give him another reason for us to argue. We had already had plenty of conflicts because of Katelyn.

After Celeste watched me take my medication over a video call, I slumped on the couch, groggy.

Half-asleep, I was jolted awake by the sound of the door opening. It was Adrian.

"You're back." I sat upright.

"Yeah." He hung up his coat and went straight to the bathroom, not giving me a chance to say anything else.

It was always like this between us. We were colleagues on the outside but barely spoke at home.

I heard something chime. I turned my head and learned that the sound had come from Adrian's phone on the table. The message was from a woman with a cute cat profile picture.

I tapped on it. The contact was saved as "Katelyn".

"Thank you for staying with me so late today, Adrian. I was delighted with you around."

My fingers trembled slightly. I remembered the pain I had endured on the operating table. While I kept glancing toward the surgery room door, hoping to see a familiar face, the man I had been waiting for was off caring for another woman.

"What are you doing?" Adrian's voice came from behind me.

I turned. He stood there wrapped in a towel, looking down at me. Droplets of water slid down his abs, tracing along the lines of his muscles.

"Oh, sorry. Your phone just happened to go off." I handed it to him and looked up. "I didn't mean to read your messages."

Adrian didn't take it. "I never said you couldn't." He opened his Whatsapp and showed me all of his conversations. "I told you, you can trust me."

I froze, still holding the phone.

He gestured toward the phone with his chin. "If you ever want to check in the future, go ahead. You already know the password."

I know that Adrian wouldn't cheat because his upbringing wouldn't allow it.

I smiled and shook my head. "No, thanks. I'm not in the habit of going through other people's phones."

Adrian looked down at me for a moment, then suddenly smiled. He asked, "Why didn't you cry this time?"

"What?"

"Every time I look after Katelyn, don't you always end up crying? You would cry and beg me for an explanation."

I smiled and shook my head. "I had three surgeries today, so I'm too exhausted to cry."

He didn't press further. Only after replying to Katelyn's message did he finally speak again.

"How's your health holding up?"

I froze for a moment. Then, I turned my head and glanced at the pill pack I had just emptied.

Even though Adrian was a cardiac surgeon, he knew what this kind of gynecological medicine meant—because the patient he cared most about was pregnant. Yet, from beginning to end, he hadn't noticed anything about me.

"I'm fine." I smiled. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Go ahead." However, as soon as he responded, his phone rang. He didn't even pause as he answered the call.

From the other end of the line came Katelyn's tearful voice. "Dr. Randall, the surgery's tomorrow. I can't sleep. I'm so scared."

Adrian's grip on the phone tightened. A second later, he turned to get dressed. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Adrian!" I stepped forward and grabbed him.

He was putting on his shoes. When he heard me, he turned, a frown etched on his face, and said in a noticeably colder tone, "Wendy, I already told you that I won't cheat on you."

I froze. Indeed, he had said that before.

On the first day we got together, he promised me that while he might not be the perfect partner, he would never be unfaithful.

Although he treated me indifferently all these years, he kept that promise.

"Here, Katelyn's ID," I said as I slipped it into his pocket.

Katelyn was careless by nature, so she had simply left all her important documents with Adrian. Whenever something needed to be handled, he just took care of it.

I reached up to fix the collar he had hastily tucked in during the chaos, straightening it with a couple of gentle movements.

"Come home early. There's still something I want to say to you."

All the irritation in his eyes froze for a moment. He lowered his gaze and gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "Got it."

He opened the door quickly, and I suddenly called out, "Adrian!"

When he turned back, I asked, "Do you love me?"

He froze, his brows subtly knitting together as he gave me a puzzled look.

I quickly forced a smile. "Just kidding. It's my birthday today."

"Huh?" He paused slightly, then smiled at me. "Alright. I'll bring you some freeze-dried strawberries when I come back. And I'll make it up to you when I have the time."

I smiled and nodded. "Okay, but—"

The door closed.

Inside the room, I whispered, "But I don't like strawberries."

Even though I said I would wait for him to return, I knew he wouldn't.

Right after he left, I quickly washed up and sat on the bed. Then, I finally called the number I'd been avoiding for so long.

Before long, the hospital director picked up, sounding surprised as he confirmed again.

"Are you sure you want to volunteer to join the Borderless Medical Assistance Program in Eryndorian? And you want to go specifically to Solaria?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"You're well aware of the situation over there, right? There's a high chance you might not come back."

I smiled. "It's alright. I'll get to see my parents again then."

There was a long silence before he spoke. "Then, on behalf of the Eastport District Red Cross, I offer you my sincerest respect."

The next morning, I woke up alone in bed. Adrian hadn't returned.

I didn't call him dozens of times like I used to, crying and demanding an explanation. Instead, I took my medicine and got myself ready. Then, I went to work.

As I passed the VIP ward, I heard a familiar voice from inside, muffled but sharp.

"What's so good about him that you insist on keeping his child? Why can't you just get rid of it? You're four months pregnant. Has he even asked you once how you're doing?"

I was about to knock on the door but stopped mid-motion when I recognized the voice as Adrian's.

Katelyn was sobbing. "But this is a life we're talking about. I can't bear to let him go."

Adrian's voice was filled with unprecedented anger. "Why do you insist on having a child with him? Why does he get to, while I—"

"Adrian!" Katelyn interrupted him. Then, she asked in a quivering voice, "Have you lost your mind?"

I curled my hand, still posed to knock, into a fist.

In the three years I had been with Adrian, no matter how much I cried or argued with him over Katelyn, he had never been this angry.

Everyone said Adrian was calm and collected, never one to lose his temper. As it turned out, it was just because he hadn't met someone who could truly stir his emotions.

A soft whine came from Adrian. "Sorry, I was too impulsive. Just pretend I didn't say anything."

When the room fell silent, I knocked on the door.

"Dr. Randall, are you here? I have a medical case that needs your attention."

After a few seconds, he replied, "Come in."

I pushed the door open.

Katelyn was sitting on the bed, looking like there had never been a fight. She smiled at me and said, "Oh, Dr. Gilmore, you're here so early! Have you had breakfast? I have some freeze-dried strawberries."

She handed me a big packet of freeze-dried strawberries from the bedside table as she spoke.

I stood frozen, momentarily forgetting to take it. I shifted my gaze to the bedside table.

In addition to the freeze-dried strawberries, there were chocolates, fruit roll-ups, candies, and caramel frappuccino. They were all the treats Adrian always picked out for me.

I heard myself ask in disbelief, "Are these all the things you like to eat?"

"Yes! I've loved sweets since I was young. Adrian had always bought me these delicious snacks."

I felt my breath hitch when I saw her smile blissfully at me.

Adrian might be cold, but he still showed me care occasionally. One of those thoughtful gestures was the little snacks he often brought me. He never asked me what I liked to eat, and I had always just eaten whatever he brought.

But the truth was, I didn't actually like sweets. It turned out that all the treats he brought me were the ones that Katelyn, his childhood sweetheart, enjoyed.

After she went abroad, he had nowhere to place that love of his. So he found someone else to absorb all that misdirected affection.

I took a deep breath and smiled. "Sorry, but I don't like sweets."

After that, I turned and handed the medical case file to Adrian. "Sorry to trouble you, Dr. Randall."

Then, I turned and walked back to my office.

I knocked over a glass in a daze, and only then did I snap out of it. Just as I was about to reach for the broom, a hand caught mine from behind.

"Dr. Randall?" I froze. Then, recalling that we couldn't be affectionate in public, I instinctively tried to pull my hand away.

But this time, he held my hand tighter of his own free will. He leaned down, his beautiful almond eyes searching my face for something.

"You didn't cry, did you?" he asked.

I pushed him away a little and picked up the broom. "Stop messing around, Dr. Randall. We're at work."

Sighing, he took the broom from my hand and quietly swept up all the shattered pieces on the floor.

"I saw that you liked Katelyn's post on Instagram." He emptied every last broken shard into the trash can. After that, he double-bagged it and tied the knot tight. "I know you're angry."

I laughed. "You're hilarious, Dr. Randall."

He turned back, his brows furrowing. He swept his gaze across my face a few times but found no cracks. With a helpless sigh, he sat across from me.

"Your methods of tormenting me are becoming more and more creative."

"I'm not tormenting you. I'm genuinely not angry."

"Wendy, stop messing around."

"Dr. Randall." I stood up and offered him a faint smile. "I need to do my rounds. We can't afford to get distracted during work hours. Wasn't that what you said before?"