Chapter 5

At the gala dinner following the conference, Edward strolled over with a glass of wine. "Dr. Quinn, congratulations."

He switched to a businesslike tone, as if we were nothing more than business associates.

"Thank you, Mr. Reed." I picked up a glass of champagne from a waiter's tray and offered him a brief toast.

"Your speech was brilliant today," he said. "Our company is currently developing a surgical robot relevant to your research. Maybe we could—"

"Mr. Reed," I cut him off, saying, "If you want to talk business, please schedule an appointment with my assistant."

I swirled the liquid in my glass and said flatly, "As for right now, it's my personal time, and I'd rather not talk about work."

Edward's face froze.

"Sophia, do we really have to be like this?" He switched back to his hurt-puppy expression.

"Like what?" I fired back.

"I—" Before he could finish his sentence, a suave male voice chimed in beside us.

"Dr. Quinn, sorry to interrupt. I'm Lester from St. Jude Medical Academy."

I turned around to find a handsome man smiling at me. He was the conference chair and a leading authority in cardiology.

"Professor Lester, it's a pleasure to meet you," I said, instantly shifting into professional mode.

"Your speech today was the best thing I've heard all week," Lester offered generously. "A lot of your insights blew me away.

"I was wondering if I might have the honor of buying you a drink after the gala to pick your brain a bit more."

This was a top-tier scholar showing genuine appreciation and extending an invitation to a colleague. Of course I wasn't going to turn him down. "It would be my pleasure."

The moment the words left my mouth, I could feel the air around me grow heavy.

Edward's knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists, veins popping on the back of his hands. He glared at Lester, his eyes dripping with hostility and warning.

Sensing the weird vibe in the air, Lester glanced between Edward and me, asking politely, "And this gentleman is..."

Before I could say a word, Edward beat me to the punch. He thrust out his hand and announced in an overbearing tone, "I'm her husband, Edward Reed."

He put extra weight on the word "husband."

A flicker of surprise crossed Lester's face, but he still shook Edward's hand politely.

I set down my glass and looked at Edward, finding him ridiculously childish.

I pulled a business card out of my purse and handed it to Lester. "Here's my contact info. I really look forward to our chat."

Then, I turned to Edward and lowered my voice so only the two of us could hear. "Mr. Reed, I forgot to mention. Pretty soon, you won't be."

Edward was shocked. He stared at me, searching my face for any sign that I was joking.

But I wasn't. My face was deadpan and my eyes were unwavering, without a hint of a joke.

"What did you say?" Edward's voice was tight, barely holding back his anger.

"I said," I looked him dead in the eye, dropping every single word like a hammer, "pretty soon, you won't be my husband anymore.

"My lawyer will hand you the divorce papers once we're back home."

With that, I brushed him off, offered Lester an apologetic smile, and turned to leave that suffocating corner.

Behind me, Edward was staring daggers at my back.

For the rest of the evening, I worked the room with total grace, mingling with academic heavyweights, swapping business cards, and talking shop.

I didn't give Edward another chance to get near me. Every time he tried to make a move, I was already wrapped up in conversation with someone else.

All he could do was watch from afar, his eyes dark and brooding as I held court and worked my magic.

It was probably the first time he realized I wasn't some helpless clingy wife who relied on him for survival.

Without him, I was still Sophia.

*****

After the gala wrapped up, I met up with Lester and a few other experts in the executive lounge as planned.

We hit it off right away, chatting about everything from cutting-edge medical tech to complex cases we had handled.

Lester even extended an olive branch, asking if I'd consider spending a year as a visiting scholar at St. Jude.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I took the offer seriously and told him I'd give it careful thought.

By the time I got back to my room, it was way past midnight.

I turned on my phone to find another barrage of missed calls and WhatsApp texts from Edward. I immediately flipped on Do Not Disturb.

His latest text came through half an hour ago: [Sophia, don't push me.]

He attached a photo. It was Angela sitting on the edge of the bed with her head down, her shoulders shaking like she was sobbing.

The background was the presidential suite at the Bellevue Grand Hotel. The exact room he had booked using my supplementary card.

Looking at that picture, I felt nothing but utter disgust.

Even at a time like this, he was still resorting to cheap, petty tricks to get under my skin.

Did he think he could make me jealous? Did he think he'd make me eat my heart out?

He had me all wrong.

As a surgeon who deals with life and death every day, my heart was already forged in steel.

Besides, how could a heart that's already dead ever feel pain again?

I blocked him on WhatsApp and then forwarded the photo straight to Lily. [Look, he's getting desperate.]

Lily hit me back in seconds: [What a piece of garbage! The nerve of this jerk to send photos to humiliate you. Sophia, don't you fall for it.]

I replied: [Don't worry, I'm turning in for the night.]

[By the way, I might need a hand with something.]

I filled Lily in on how Edward's company was sponsoring the conference and how he was eager to pitch some business deal to me. [I've got a hunch he didn't come here only to play house with his mistress.]

Lily's family was in venture capital, so she was way sharper than me when it came to business affairs. [You mean he wants to ride your coattails, use your research to endorse his company, and rake in funding?]

[It's very likely.]

My hospital and my reputation were the best of the best in domestic cardiac surgery. Landing a major deal with me would be an incredible shot in the arm for his firm.

[Got it.] Lily replied instantly. [I'll have my dad run a background check on his company right away to see which investors he's been courting lately.]

[Thanks.]

[Don't mention it. Let's wipe the floor with him.]