Chapter 3

In the end, I never sent the message I wanted to.

For some reason, I drifted off into a deep sleep, without even knowing why.

The next morning, after the check-up, I was wheeled straight into the operating room.

I was barely awake when I saw Ethan's face.

He looked completely relaxed. After all, the operating room was full of his senior colleagues and the mentor who valued him most.

"Sophia, don't worry. get some sleep. When you wake up, you'll feel a whole lot better," Ethan said softly.

As the anesthesia kicked in, the pain faded away, and the voices around me started to sound distant and fuzzy.

I couldn't tell if I was dreaming or if this was real.

All I could hear was everyone teasing Ethan.

"Ethan, you sly dog. When did you get married? When did you have a kid? You never told us." one of them joked.

"If your wife hadn't gotten sick this time, how long were you planning to keep it a secret?" another teased.

He never said anything?

I remembered he'd posted about it on his social media more than once.

There was no way he had kept it to himself.

I felt like I was dreaming, like I was making it all up in my head.

For a moment, I couldn't believe it.

Ethan didn't answer. After that, all I heard was their laughter mixed with occasional serious voices.

When the surgery was over and I was wheeled out, it was Ethan who gently woke me up.

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was his face.

He smiled at me and said, "Everything went smoothly."

I threw my arms around him.

I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face.

Honestly, before the surgery, I kept thinking I might not make it out alive.

I guess that's something everyone with a serious illness worries about.

I couldn't help but feel that way.

Ethan patted my back and said with a smile, "The surgery went really well. Once the biopsy results are back, we'll know what to do next. Don't stress about it."

"So does that mean I can go home?" I asked.

Ethan nodded. "Yeah, my folks will come get you in a couple of days. take it easy for now."

He didn't mention divorce at all, he even had his parents come pick me up. For a moment, I thought Chloe was someone passing through our lives.

I couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement and joy.

While I was waiting to be discharged, Ethan kept bringing me three meals a day.

He always brought my favorite foods.

Every day, I'd snap a photo and save it in my notes app.

I've always loved keeping track of everything about us, hoping that someday, ten or twenty years down the line, I could look back and relive those memories.

These days, I'd forgotten why I'd fainted, and even the divorce papers I'd saved on my phone slipped my mind.

Whenever Ethan introduced me to others, he'd still instinctively call me the same thing: "This is my wife, Sophia."

I was genuinely happy, believing this was how things would always be between us, and Chloe was a passing chapter in our lives.

On the day I was discharged, Ethan took the day off, dressed up in a sharp suit, and even took me to the salon for a haircut. He said it was time for a fresh start.

I laughed and teased him, "Since when did you get all superstitious, Dr. Sterling?"

But he stayed quiet, his eyes fixed on me in the mirror.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

As I spoke, Ethan gently pulled me close, cupping my face and pressing a soft kiss to my cheek.

"I'm so grateful you're still here," he murmured.

For that moment, it felt like there was no one else in the world but us.

I held him close, letting myself get lost in that moment of happiness with him.

That feeling lasted until I got into the car.

Ethan opened the back door for me, and I was a bit puzzled, since I almost never sat in the back.

I figured it was because I was sick and the back had more space, so I didn't think much of it.

As soon as I got in, Ethan instinctively straightened the little cartoon charm that was swinging from the rearview mirror.

I teased, "Wow, Dr. Sterling, you're always so busy, when do you even have time to mess around with those Perler bead crafts?"

He gave an awkward little smile. "Do you like it?"

"Of course I do. You're the best neurosurgeon around, how could a Perler bead craft made by you not look good?" I said with a grin.

I was still smiling, head down, when suddenly a familiar voice rang out.

"Sophia. Ethan didn't make that. I did." Chloe called out.