Chapter 2

Seven years ago, I was a surgeon, too.

Yosef and I worked at the same hospital, and we were the most promising young talents there.

Everyone said we were a match made in heaven. He was the genius, I was the beauty, and our futures looked limitless.

I really thought we'd become legends in the medical world.

Everything changed the moment Ella Lynch came back home.

Ella was Yosef's college sweetheart, the girl he could never forget, his forever crush.

As soon as she showed up, Yosef pulled every string to get her into our department.

He said, "Nina, Ella's not familiar with the work yet. Can you help her settle in?"

I smiled and agreed, thinking it was my husband being nice to an old friend.

But I never expected that this so-called "help" would end up destroying my entire life.

Three months after Ella joined our department, she was given her first solo surgery: a routine appendectomy.

It was the simplest kind of operation, but she messed up and accidentally cut the patient's ureter.

I was in the operating room next door when it happened.

Yosef burst in, his face as white as a sheet, sweat pouring down his forehead.

He grabbed my arm so hard that I thought he might snap it. "Nina, something's happened. There was a complication in the operation Ella was handling."

By the time I got there, the operating room was pure chaos.

Ella slumped to the ground, paralyzed with fear, unable to utter a single word.

The department chief's face darkened, his expression grim.

The patient's vitals were crashing. Kidney failure could hit at any moment.

I took over immediately and performed an emergency ureter reimplantation.

Four hours later, the patient survived, but the damage was done. The future recovery and any possible complications were still unknown.

The patient's family was furious. They wanted to report it to the police right then and there, determined to see Ella's reputation destroyed.

That night, Yosef waited for me outside my apartment for a long time.

When I got off work, I saw him leaning against his car, looking especially desolate under the streetlights.

As soon as he saw me, he stubbed out his cigarette and hurried over.

"Nina," he grabbed my hand, his voice hoarse. "I know you're exhausted, but I have to beg you for Ella's sake."

I pulled my hand away, feeling a cold wave wash over me. "What exactly are you begging for? Yosef, surgery isn't something you can play around with. It's a matter of life and death.

"She messed up, and she has to take responsibility for it herself."

Yosef crumpled right there in front of me. The six-foot surgeon who owned every room he entered was now reduced to clutching at my hands, his whole body folded in supplication.

"Nina, I'm begging you," he pleaded. "Ella can't afford for this to happen. She just got back, and her whole future can't be ruined like this.

"About this medical accident... could you... could you..."

He didn't finish, but I understood perfectly. He wanted me to take the fall for Ella.

I was shaking with rage. "Yosef, are you out of your mind?

"The surgery records clearly list Ella as the lead surgeon. I only took a quick look and left. How could I possibly take the fall for this?'

He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to me.

It was a doctored surgery schedule.

On it, my name, Nina Foster, was listed as the lead surgeon for that appendectomy, while Ella was the first assistant.

My blood ran cold.

When had he prepared this? Was it while I was still on the operating table, fighting to save that patient?

Yosef said, "Just say you were exhausted and made a mistake during the surgery, and that Ella, as your assistant, had to step in and take over for you.

"I'll handle the higher-ups at the hospital and talk to the patient's family myself.

"Nina, everyone knows you're the best surgeon in our department. One slip-up isn't the end of the world. People will understand.

"Worst case, you'll be suspended for a bit. When things quiet down, everything will go back to the way it was."

He painted a carefree future, but every word he spoke cut into me like a knife.

"And what about me?" I stared at him, my voice cold and deliberate. "What about my future? What about my reputation?"

He fell silent. After a long moment, he finally looked up, his eyes bloodshot, his voice thick with desperation. "Nina, please. Just this once, do it for me.

"Consider it a loan. I'll pay you back double."

I looked at him and couldn't help but think how absurd it all was.

Here we were, married, and he was talking about "loan" from me—using my future to pay off his emotional debt to Ella.