Chapter 2

The next afternoon, I showed up early outside Charles's office.

Turned out he still hadn't arrived by the time we agreed to meet. I waited, trying to be patient, until four o'clock, but my phone didn't buzz at all.

At 4:30, I finally gave up and left.

It wasn't until five that I finally got a text from him.

[Sorry, I got held up in a meeting today. Are you still there?]

I stared at Charles's message for ages, then just acted like I never saw it.

I was busy. Because I'd been keeping a low profile, my brand was still just a niche label with a bit of a name. This time, I wanted to use the new launch to break into the mainstream.

If I wanted to make it big, I knew I needed some serious marketing and promo work. But I was totally clueless about all that, and my business partner was stuck overseas with personal stuff.

So, I had no choice but to ask around for help from someone in the business.

Sophie Adams was that friend who actually knew what she was doing, but we hadn't talked in two years.

I sat there, chin in hand, thinking for ages. Finally, I came up with a quick way to break the ice.

And that was... venting about my troubles.

Sophie's eyes widened when she heard I was getting divorced.

"How did it come to this? Weren't things going well?" she asked.

I had no idea how to respond. Going well? When was it ever really going well?

Back then, I genuinely wanted to make our marriage work.

But life just had other plans, and things never turned out the way I hoped.

After we got married, life was still a total mess.

"Are you okay with this? You stuck by him when he had nothing, and now he's one of Riverside City's big shots! If you divorce him now, aren't you just letting those women outside cash in?" Sophie asked.

I swallowed my drink, my voice tinged with regret. "But isn't the most important thing in life knowing when to cut your losses?"

I'd poured so much into this marriage that I lost myself along the way.

Looking back now, all I could ask myself was, "Was it really worth it?"

The bar was packed and loud, exactly the kind of place where I could finally let loose.

Sure, I felt relieved, but mostly I was just lost.

I was idly spinning my glass when someone suddenly pressed their hand over mine. I looked up and met a pair of deep, unreadable eyes. Nathan Shaw, wearing that half-smile of his.

Nathan's gaze was sharp. "Ms. Reed, didn't I tell you not to drink while you're still recovering? Why are you being such a bad patient?"

Sometimes I swear Riverside City is just one big small town. Why did I keep bumping into my ex?

And not just any ex. The very one who'd just operated on me and taken out my gallbladder.

I never thought I'd run into him here. Awkwardness hit me first, but underneath it all, I couldn't help feeling a bit guilty.

Under his intense stare, I couldn't help but protest, "I only had a little."

He gave my glass a sideways glance, lips quirking. "Who calls half a bottle 'just a little' anyway?"

With that, he grabbed my drink and finished it off in one gulp.

"You're still in recovery, so no booze for you," he reminded me.

I just gave him a blank stare, not saying a word, until Nathan reminded me, "Don't forget your check-up in a couple of days."

I just muttered a half-hearted "Yeah."

As Nathan walked away, Sophie couldn't wait to get the scoop and sidled up, all curious.

"Wait, isn't that Nathan Shaw? You guys still talk?" she asked.

I gave a half-hearted smile. "He was the lead surgeon for my last operation."

Sophie looked like she wanted to say something, but just smiled instead. "Talk about fate, huh?"

Nathan and I were each other's first loves, but our breakup was messy and pretty dramatic.

So when we crossed paths again years later and things were actually so calm between us, it caught a lot of people off guard.

That little run-in didn't really change the mood between us, but since I couldn't drown my sorrows anymore, all I could do was watch Sophie drink alone.

She was getting drunk and slurring, "Honestly, maybe it's for the best you two are splitting up. I saw him having dinner with another woman last time.

"Seriously, he's married! Doesn't he know how to keep his distance?"

Then she shushed me and said, "I kept debating whether to tell you, but you'd just had surgery, so I decided not to add to your stress."

I paused for a moment, then just smiled. "Yeah, it doesn't matter anymore."

I loved him before, but now I didn't feel it anymore.

That was just how it is.

The next morning, after a lot of hesitation, I canceled my appointment with the senior specialist and booked Nathan instead.

The hospital was packed and noisy, and I just stood there, tuning everything out.

When they called my name, the last patient was still inside, so I just hung around by the door, trying to be patient.

I could hear a woman inside, softly crying.

"Doctor, I'm scared. Do I really have to go through with this surgery?" she asked.

Nathan gave a reassuring smile. "Hey, it's okay. The girl waiting outside did her surgery solo, and look at her now. Totally fine, full of life."

I felt a little embarrassed and rubbed my nose.

The woman turned to me, all wide-eyed. "Wow, you're so brave! You actually did surgery all by yourself?"

I heard footsteps behind me, probably her friend.

She glanced over my shoulder, her tone playful. "Guess I'll go through with the surgery then. Charlie, you'll stay with me, right?"

I turned around too, and to my surprise, it was Charles.