Chapter 3

I didn't confront him right away.

My initial plan was simply to end the marriage quietly. I consulted a lawyer, started preserving legal evidence, and audited our financial records.

Ethan had rented a luxury one-bedroom apartment for Maya in Midtown Manhattan, not far from our condo.

Twelve thousand dollars a month. A one-year lease.

He had also transferred nearly a million dollars out of our joint family investment account to pay for her brother's specialized medical treatments overseas and living expenses.

That money was supposed to be for our future children.

He took our future to fund another woman's family.

The bank statements laid it all out on my screen.

I sat at my computer, my fingers trembling as I scrolled through transaction after transaction.

I also found multiple large payments from Bennett Clinical Systems to so-called clinical consultants, pilot programs, and vendors. The payees were all linked to Maya. The total exceeded two million dollars.

I handed the documents over to my lawyer and ordered the company to initiate an independent audit.

As for the hospital's annual reviews, Maya had failed three consecutive times. By all rules, she should have been suspended.

A few days later, standing in the blind spot of a security camera, I watched Ethan swipe Maya into the restricted cardiothoracic simulation training area.

It was the most heavily restricted zone in the hospital. Even the department chief needed layers of approval to get in.

But for her, Ethan bypassed the very rules he usually championed. He personally guided her through the procedures, hand over hand, and even gave her a box of restricted training supplies.

I noted the date, time, and details. I planned to give the photos and logs to my lawyer, who would forward them to the hospital's compliance department.

Through the glass door, I saw Maya's eyes well up with tears. Her voice hitched.

"I'm so clumsy. I don't deserve your help, Dr. Cole."

Ethan's voice dropped, thick with a sickening indulgence that turned my stomach.

"Don't say that about yourself. How could the woman who saved my life be clumsy?"

The woman who saved his life?

I almost laughed out loud.

I was the one who pulled him from the wreckage, yet she was cashing the checks.

Still, a small, pathetic part of me couldn't let go. I dialed his number.

Not to save the marriage.

I just wanted to see if, given the chance, he would choose honesty.

His phone buzzed.

Ethan glanced at the caller ID. Wife.

His brow furrowed, and without a second of hesitation, he hit decline.

"It's nothing," he murmured to Maya. "Keep practicing."

I called again.

This time, it went straight to voicemail. He had turned his phone off.

Maya looked up, a flicker of smug satisfaction in her eyes.

"What if it's an emergency, Dr. Cole?"

"It's not." Ethan didn't miss a beat. "If it were someone important, I'd answer."

My back hit the cold wall of the corridor.

The world tilted on its axis.

I wasn't important anymore.

For her, he threw away his professional ethics, and he threw me away.

And I was still here, making a fool of myself.

I turned and walked away. Behind me, Maya's cloying voice drifted through the door.

"You're so good to me."

Ethan replied softly, "You deserve it."

When I stepped out of the hospital, the sunlight was blinding.

My phone lit up.

A text from Ethan.

Sorry, was in a meeting and my phone was on silent. Is everything okay?

He lied without missing a beat.

Staring at that text, the last ember of hope in my heart finally died.