Chapter 6

Nydia froze. Her eyes dropped to my arm, and her brow creased.

"Are you hurt?" she asked. Probably remembering how she brushed me off earlier, she looked uncomfortable.

The nurse standing next to me said, "If he'd come any later, we might not have been able to save the arm. I had no idea what was going on with his wife—she still hadn't shown up at the hospital."

She totally missed the awkward tension in the air. She gave Jefferson a quick look and asked, "Dr. Kim, is this your boyfriend? What happened to him?"

Nydia's voice came out dry. "He drank too much and got a bad stomachache. I brought him in to get his stomach pumped."

I didn't say a word or spare Nydia another glance. I just turned and headed toward the inpatient wing. My arm needed a few days to heal.

As the drugs wore off, the pain made it hard to sleep. I could hear voices in the room next door—Nydia and Jefferson.

She stayed with him the whole night, taking care of him and checking on him constantly.

I was just one room away. I didn't know if she realized that and chose not to come, or if she really didn't know.

But either way, it didn't matter anymore.

Early the next morning, I got a call from the court.

"That's everything I've got," I said. "Just send over the divorce process and paperwork. And yeah, no chance of reconciliation."

Just then, Nydia burst into my room, looking upset. "Are you filing for divorce?"

For a split second, panic flashed in her eyes, and her brows pulled together in a tight frown.

I thought she'd still be in Jefferson's room. I didn't expect her to check in on me.

I calmly ended the call and said, "I told you. It's my boss who's getting divorced."

I didn't want her to know yet. I figured I'd wait until the court notified her directly.

Nydia narrowed her eyes. "Really?" she asked, her voice full of doubt.

I nodded, avoiding her gaze.

She kept pushing. "Then call your boss. Let me talk to him. Or show me the papers from last night."

I looked at her and said flatly, "First of all, he's my boss. What do you think he'd say if my wife called asking about his personal stuff?

"Second, court files are private. You're not allowed to see them."

Nydia took a deep breath and stepped closer, trying to sound gentler. "That's not what I meant. You've brought up divorce before. I just got scared."

I raised an eyebrow. "So you can feel scared. I figured you were only afraid Jefferson might find out about us." The sarcasm in my voice was hard to miss.

Nydia's face darkened. "I'll take care of you while you're here. Don't overthink things, and don't assume the worst about me."

I didn't say anything after that. No point.

Over the next five days, she barely came by except for routine checks. Even the nurses visited more often than she did.

I didn't mention it. Like she always said, adults should learn to take care of themselves.

When discharge day came, Nydia walked in and asked, "How's your arm?"

She noticed me packing and looked surprised. "Are you leaving already?"

I nodded. My arm was still weak, but I could move it enough to get by.

"I'll drive you home," she offered. "My shift just ended."

I didn't argue. But just as we were about to leave, Jefferson showed up again, complaining about stomach pain.

Nydia didn't hesitate to leave me alone. "I had a patient whose condition kept coming back. You'll have to go home by yourself."

She rushed off, not even looking back.

I didn't try to stop her. Twenty more days, and I'd finally be free.