Chapter 1

I spent three years on the toughest medical aid missions abroad, all to help Sebastian Sheppard go after the Annual Medical Achievement Award.

The night before I was supposed to come home, I saw a video.

A young, pretty nurse was wearing my white coat, taking selfies in my private sterile lab. It was Sabrina Larson.

The caption read: [Can't wait to share this with you all. Partnered with Dr. Sheppard in surgery today. He taught me suturing step by step. Feels amazing to get special attention.]

The comments were full of mockery. [Isn't this Dr. Laurel Joyce's private lab? How did you get in? Did you pull some strings?]

Sabrina replied: [Laurel is only a logistics woman with a dull face. She knows nothing about the romance of anatomy.]

I sneered, zooming in on the precision suturing machine in her selfies.

That machine had cost Starwave Hospital millions, imported specifically for me. Its permissions and core data were locked to me alone, engraved with my Balorian code name.

At that moment, I understood everything.

The thing I had risked my life to protect had already become someone else's toy.

I zoomed in on the photo.

On the collar of the lab coat Sabrina was wearing, there was an embroidered ginkgo leaf.

That coat was custom-made for me when I earned my senior specialist title. It was one of a kind. Now it hung loosely on her, like some accessory meant to show off her body.

I kept scrolling through her posts from the past several months. Every one of them was about Sebastian.

[Another ten-hour surgery today. Dr. Sheppard gave me a shoulder rub himself. He was so good at it.]

[I've been running nonstop for three days, and my stomach was killing me. Dr. Sheppard left a meeting halfway through to bring me food. It feels so good being taken care of like that.]

[He says I look most attractive when I'm holding a scalpel, way better than those nerds who only deal with numbers.]

The replies beneath were filled with praise from her friends and followers.

[Sabrina, you're so lucky. Dr. Sheppard is the youngest associate specialist in the hospital.]

[Looks like you're going to marry him soon.]

[I heard Dr. Sheppard had a long-distance girlfriend before. How come he never talks about her?]

Sabrina replied: [Long-distance relationships? Please, three years without seeing each other, of course it's over. Dr. Sheppard says he needs someone who can stand beside him in surgery, not some useless logistics woman holding him back.]

I stared at the words "logistics woman" and sneered.

I closed the video app, opened my messages, and tapped on the pinned chat with Sebastian.

The last message sat there, marked five minutes ago.

Me: [I looked over your award application for the Annual Medical Achievement Award. The core data still has flaws. Do you want me to stay up all night and redo it?]

Sebastian: [Laurel, it's the busiest time of the year here. I'm drowning in work. Just got out of surgery. Let's talk about the data later. I'm too exhausted to type.]

Too tired to type, huh?

I switched back to Sabrina's profile.

She posted something new three minutes ago.

It was a short looping clip. The advanced suturing machine that Starwave Hospital got for me was being used for some absurd stunt.

The robotic arm was gripping a thin strip of grape skin, stitching it like part of some precision challenge. Grape juice dripped down the multimillion-dollar probe onto the sterile table.

Sebastian, who said he was too tired to type, showed up in the comment section.

Sebastian: [It's fun, isn't it? Think of it as practice. Her equipment hasn't been used in a long time anyway.]

The day the machine was set up, he held my hand with tears in his eyes.

He said, "Laurel, with this machine, I'll finally be able to solve the last major challenge in coronary bypass surgery. I owe you a lot."

He'd promised that once I returned home, he'd give me full access to the lab, and together, we'd stand on the stage for the Annual Medical Achievement Award.

And now the advanced equipment I poured everything into had become something he used to please another woman.

The airport announcement came over the speakers. I rolled my suitcase through the arrivals exit as a rush of cold air hit my face.

Late autumn in Riverdale cut straight to the bone with its cold.

I never told Sebastian I was coming back today.

Half an hour later, Sebastian unexpectedly texted me. [Team dinner tonight. Taking everyone out to relax.]

Underneath the message was a location pin: [Pearl Restaurant.]

Sebastian: [Everyone says the beef here is fantastic. When you're back on leave, I'll bring you here to try it.]

I looked at the address and realized it was only two blocks from my place.

I dumped my suitcase by the door, threw on my coat, put on a mask, and headed out to catch a cab.