Chapter 2
I stepped into the operating room, my eyes falling on the woman lying beneath the surgical lights.
Her face was wet with tears and pale, but her features were still striking.
Even though I had braced myself, my heart still gave a sharp, painful twist.
In that instant, it hit me.
I had seen her on Adam's phone before.
It was last Christmas, and I was pulling a shift at the Regional Medical Center.
On Christmas Eve, while video chatting with Adam, I caught a glimpse of this woman—Lily—in the corner of the screen.
We only locked eyes for a split second, but I could tell right away that Lily's look was anything but friendly.
Later, when I asked Adam about it, he said Lily was just a neighbor and that their families had always been close, so they'd celebrated Christmas together.
Thinking back on that look, I realized Lily must have known about me for a long time.
Now, Lily was lying on the operating table, crying as she begged us. "Please, save me and my baby."
I took a deep breath, checked Lily's condition, and gave the nod for anesthesia.
Lily's pants had already been pulled down, and the lower part was covered with a big area of dried, dark red blood.
William explained, "By the time she got here, that blood had been there for over an hour. But the family swears they called 911 the second she fell."
I nodded, remembering Adam saying, "When we saw all the blood, we brought her straight here."
I reached out, and as soon as the scalpel touched my hand, all distractions vanished from my mind.
As I started the surgery, the anesthesiologist reported that the baby's heartbeat was gone.
At the same time, Lily was bleeding heavily, and her blood pressure kept dropping.
The medical team exchanged glances—everyone knew what this meant.
If we kept trying to deliver the baby and preserve her uterus, Lily would die from blood loss within minutes.
Just then, as if they could sense what was happening inside, Adam and his parents started pounding on the operating room door.
The circulating nurse hurried over and spoke to them through the glass window.
Soon, the nurse came back. "They said save the baby. The baby comes first."
I frowned. "Tell them the baby's heartbeat is gone."
The nurse's face turned ghostly pale. Even though she'd seen scenes like this before, it was impossible for any woman not to be shaken by such a heartless demand.
"I told them," the nurse said, "but they won't budge. They want both—the baby and the uterus."
Wanting everything at once? That was just heartless and ridiculous.
The anesthesiologist spoke up, his tone hopeless. "Her blood pressure is 55/25!"
My gaze swept over the operating table.
Lily lay there, her face as pale as paper, eyes tightly shut.
If I'd caught them cheating in any other situation, I would've lost it just like any wife who truly loved her husband.
I would've cried, screamed, and maybe even torn into Lily right then and there.
I would've done whatever it took to make them pay for betraying me.
But right now, her life was in my hands.
Everyone was waiting for my orders.
"Get ready for a subtotal hysterectomy," I said gently.
*****
After what felt like an eternity, the surgery was finally over.
As I pushed open the operating room door, Adam and his parents rushed over.
"Doctor, did you save my grandson?" Rachel asked.
I gently pulled her arm free from her tight grip and replied calmly, "The baby died before the surgery. Lily's vital signs are stable for now, and she's been transferred to the ICU."
"What happened?" Rachel and Frank blurted out in unison.
Adam was about to speak, but suddenly realization dawned on him. "You... you're Claire?"
My voice was back to normal, and he recognized it instantly.
I slowly took off my mask. "Yes. I'm Claire Simmons—your legal wife for the past two years."