Chapter 2

Stella POV

The cold rain lashed against my face as I took a taxi alone to the downtown hospital.

The emergency room lights were harsh and blinding white.

The orthopedic surgeon looked at my X-rays, his brows tightly furrowed, his tone severe.

"Severe rotator cuff tear, accompanied by a comminuted fracture. You've let this injury go for too long. If Professor Miller doesn't perform minimally invasive repair immediately, you won't even be able to grip a steering wheel with this hand in the future, let alone race!"

Professor Miller was a top orthopedic and sports rehabilitation expert in the country, and also the Redline team's exclusive medical consultant, hired by Leo at a high salary.

I gritted my teeth, enduring the sharp pain, and dialed Professor Miller's number.

"I'm sorry, Stella. Mr. Thorne just urgently called me to the VIP ward. Ms. Hayes had a sudden palpitation, and Mr. Thorne gave a strict order that I must stay here until all of Ms. Hayes's indicators are completely stable. Your surgery... I'm afraid it will have to be pushed back."

My hand clutching the phone tightened sharply, my nails digging deep into my palm.

Palpitation?

Did a heart patient's palpitation really require a top orthopedic expert to stand guard?

I don't know how I walked to the VIP ward door.

Through the slightly ajar door, I saw Summer leaning back on the soft hospital bed, her face flushed, daintily sipping water that Leo was feeding her himself.

Professor Miller and several other experts hovered around her like she was the center of the universe, terrified that this delicate patient might suffer the slightest mishap.

"Leo, am I too delicate? Just a fright from thunder, and you've gone to all this trouble."

Summer spoke in a soft, delicate voice, her eyes subtly flickering in my direction.

Leo meticulously wiped soup from the corner of her lips, his voice so tender it could melt butter.

"Your health is the most important thing. Even a scratch is a huge deal to me."

I stood outside the door, blood from my right shoulder already dripping from my fingertips onto the cold tile floor, forming ghastly blood blossoms.

A scratch was a huge deal.

What about my comminuted fractured right arm? What about my career, teetering on the brink of ruin?

In Leo's eyes, they were nothing at all.

I didn't push the door open and humiliate myself.

I turned and walked back to the emergency room, calmly telling the attending doctor:

"I won't wait. Please help me with a manual reduction and immobilization."

The doctor looked at me in shock.

"Without anesthesia? This level of fracture, manual reduction will be so painful it could send someone into shock!"

"It's fine. I can take it."

Because no pain could hurt more than this battered heart right now.

The reduction process was like death.

The dull grinding of bone against bone in the silent exam room was bone-chilling.

I bit down hard on my lip, cold sweat soaking my entire body, yet I didn't make a single sound of pain.

Only when I tasted the strong metallic tang of blood in my mouth did I collapse onto the hospital bed, utterly drained.

It was already past midnight when my wound was dressed.

Dragging my right arm, now encased in a heavy cast, I returned to the apartment Leo and I had shared for five years.

Pushing open the door, I saw a pair of brand-new pink women's slippers in the entryway.

On the living room sofa, several unfamiliar women's jackets were scattered.

A faint scent of chamomile perfume, Summer' favorite, hung in the air.

I walked to the table. Where a photo of Leo and me used to be, there was now a wedding photo of Leo and Summer.

In the picture, they gazed at each other lovingly, like a true couple.

I watched it for a while, feeling as though these past five years had been an absurd joke.

I walked into the bedroom, pulled out my suitcase, and began packing with one hand.

The matching mugs I bought. Into the trash can.

The scarf I'd knitted for him myself. Into the trash can.

Photo albums, letters, and mementos filled with our sweet memories. All mercilessly swept into black trash bags.

For three full hours, the once cozy bedroom became empty, leaving behind only Leo's cold possessions.

Just as I was about to zip up my suitcase, I heard the sound of the front door unlocking.

Leo walked in, carrying a chill with him. Seeing the black trash bags piled in the living room, his brows furrowed tightly.

"What in the world are you doing in the middle of the night?"

He strode into the bedroom, and seeing the suitcase in my hand, his face instantly fell.

"Stella, have you had enough of this drama? I told you Summer is just a patient. Are you really trying to force me by running away at a time like this?"

I looked up.

"I'm not causing drama, and I'm not forcing you."

I zipped up the suitcase, picked it up with one hand, and looked at him calmly.

"Leo, let's break up."