Chapter 4
An hour later, the surgery was finally over.
Emily pulled off her mask and stepped out of the operating room.
When Emily saw Andrew half-squatting in the hallway, his face tight with worry, her heart felt heavy, like a stone pressing down on her chest. Her voice came out hoarse as she called his name.
Andrew came to his senses and rushed over, grabbing her shoulders. "Emily, how's Sophia? Is the baby okay?"
Emily shook her head. "She lost too much blood, and the trauma was just too much. I'm sorry, we couldn't save the baby."
As a doctor, Emily had to put her patients' health first.
But with her expertise, she could tell right away what had caused the tragedy with the baby.
Sophia was pregnant for the first time, and she was inexperienced.
Normally, sexual activity should be avoided during the early stages of pregnancy, but Andrew's strong desires and his size made it easy to cause harm, potentially endangering the baby in the womb.
Emily had expected Andrew to come up with some excuse about what happened to Sophia's baby, but before she could even react, he slapped her hard across the face.
The loud crack of the slap rang out through the hallway, leaving Emily stunned and reeling.
She lifted her head, eyes wide in shock and disbelief.
Andrew's eyes were bloodshot, blazing with fury as he stared her down. "Emily, when did you become so cold? You didn't even spare an innocent child."
Emily stood there, stunned, unable to say a word for a long moment.
Andrew went on, his voice shaking with anger. "You're the best OB-GYN in this hospital. You even managed to save babies for cancer patients before, so why couldn't you save Sophia's?
"Isn't she healthier than those cancer patients? Isn't she younger than any of those older moms? I bet you just didn't want her to have this baby, so you went behind our backs and made sure she lost it."
Andrew's words hit Emily like a punch to the gut. She clenched her fists, shaking with anger.
As a doctor, she had her own professional standards. She'd never let personal grudges get in the way of saving a life.
"Is that really how you see me, Andrew? Just some selfish monster?" Emily said, her voice trembling with hurt.
When Andrew saw the slap mark on Emily's face, he instantly came to his senses, the anger draining away as guilt took over.
He looked down at his palm, still stinging, and guilt flashed across his face. "Emily, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just heartbroken about the baby.
"You know how close I am to Gary. I promised I'd take care of his girlfriend, but now his baby is gone. I let him down," Andrew said, his voice thick with regret.
With that, Andrew covered his face with his hands and started to sob.
Seeing him so upset, Emily couldn't say anything to comfort him.
Her face was distant, her eyes steady and emotionless.
Maybe Andrew really thought she was just a fool, unable to see through his shameless, flimsy lies.
"Sophia needs to take it easy for a while. No sex at all until she's fully recovered," Emily said, her voice flat and emotionless.
After she finished speaking, the light in her eyes went out completely, leaving only a cold emptiness, as if every last bit of warmth had been burned away.
Andrew looked up, tears still glistening in those soulful eyes. "Will she ever be able to have children again?"
Before Emily could respond, a nurse came out, wheeling Sophia, fresh from surgery, down the hallway.
Sophia was crying so hard her face was streaked with tears, her voice choked with grief as she called out softly, "Andrew."
"I'm here," Andrew replied gently.
Andrew didn't even look at Emily. He hurried over and took Sophia's hand, his voice tender and full of guilt. "Sophia, does it hurt? It's all my fault. I should've taken better care of you. I'm so sorry you lost the baby.
"Don't worry, I'll make it up to you," he promised.
Sophia choked out, her voice trembling, "Andrew, I just heard someone say my baby could've been saved, but Dr. Rivers forced me to have an abortion. I just don't get it."
As soon as she said that, the whole place went dead silent.
Emily felt her heart plummet, a wave of dread crashing over her.
Before the nurse could even speak up for Emily, Andrew turned sharply, his eyes narrowing with suspicion and anger, his tone suddenly harsh. "Emily, tell me. Is what Sophia just said true?"