Chapter 2

After checking into the hotel, I went straight to the shower and then to bed. The next morning, I woke up early and headed to the hospital for work. Our hospital is well-respected statewide, renowned for its excellence. Kai Cook is one of the major shareholders, while I'm just the Deputy Head of Neurology.

I had hardly sat down, without even having a sip of coffee, when I was called to the emergency room for a collaborative consultation. Just as I reached the entrance, I ran into Kai. A car accident victim, a pregnant woman, had severe injuries that required both the obstetrics and neurosurgery teams to operate together.

When it comes to work, both Kai and I put personal feelings aside and focus on doing our best. Perhaps that's the only connection we have left. After the surgery was a complete success, Lauren, a nurse from the operating room, joked, "Director Kai and Deputy Director Cook really are a perfect pair. Every time they team up for a surgery, their silent communication is incredible. It's such a waste they're not together."

Kai's face darkened at her comment. Before he could deny it, I jumped in, "Please, don't say such things. I'm just an ordinary doctor, definitely not on Director Kai's level." No one at the hospital knows about my history with Kai since he prefers to keep work and personal matters separate. In the past, when someone suggested we belonged together, I secretly felt pleased, thinking that even if we weren't officially a couple, others still saw us that way.

Now, however, I find those comments tiresome and am trying to distance myself from Kai. Lauren playfully asked me what kind of boyfriend I was looking for. The first image that came to mind was Kai. I pretended to think for a moment before saying, "Aside from money and work, nothing else really matters to me." This made the nurse burst out laughing.

Kai suddenly spoke up from behind, "Deputy Director Cook, I have some questions about the surgery that I'd like to discuss with you." Picking up on the tension, Lauren quickly excused herself and left. I sat in Kai's office, asking what questions he had. Abruptly, Kai asked, "Soleil, where were you last night? You know I'm detail-oriented, and if I find out you..." I interrupted him with a smile, "Director Kai, we're on the clock, so let's keep it professional."

There was a time when I casually asked Kai about dinner plans during work hours. He immediately checked that no one else was around and sternly reminded me not to mix personal matters with work. Since then, I haven't brought up personal topics with him at the hospital. Kai seemed surprised by his own words and, after a moment, curtly asked me to leave. As I closed the door, I gave him a smile. "Director Kai, perhaps you should check with my husband if it was suitable for me to go home under those circumstances last night?"

He looked slightly guilty at my remark. Not expecting him to say anything else, I simply left the room. Near the end of my shift, I received a message from Kai, a screenshot of two movie tickets. I recognized it as his way of offering a peace gesture. After replying to my last message to Lennon, the lawyer, and making sure everything was in order in the department, I clocked out and headed to the meeting, intending to discuss the divorce with Kai.

As I was leaving the hospital, I saw Adrianna Robinson in Kai's car, waiting for him to finish work. Kai then got into the car and drove off right in front of me. Shortly after, I received a message from him, saying Adrianna needed his help and asked me to wait for him at the cinema entrance. I didn't wait; instead, I headed to the law office.

After finalizing the divorce discussions with Lennon, I went to the cinema to pick up the tickets and went inside. The movie Kai chose was never to my taste. In the past, to please him, I would sit through the whole film. This time, however, I left halfway. I booked a ticket online for a sci-fi movie instead. After the film, I treated myself to some pulled pork sandwiches before heading home.

Previously, because Kai said he disliked such junk food, I adjusted my habits to suit his tastes. Yet on Adrianna's social media, Kai is pictured enjoying countless "junk food" meals with her. I dedicated myself to him for seven years, and still, there was no room for me in his heart. For us, apart from divorce, there seems to be no other path forward.