Chapter 1

My sister-in-law suddenly had a heart attack, and the doctors said that only my husband could perform the specific surgery she needed. The situation was dire, and when I finally reached him, it was his old friend, Linda, who picked up the call.

"We're planning to go hiking tonight in the Alps, so we won't be back until tomorrow!" she said casually.

My anxiety was skyrocketing. "Alanna's had a heart attack; she needs surgery immediately. Please, get him back to the hospital."

Then I heard my husband's irritated voice on the other end. "Will you stop making such a fuss? Stop jinxing my sister!"

Before I could explain further, he hung up on me. Any attempts to call back were met with nothing; his phone was switched off.

In the end, my sister-in-law passed away after missing the critical window for surgery. When my husband found out, he was devastated.

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Just as I arrived at work, I received a call from my husband's colleague.

"Emerson, we've been trying to reach Dr. Cook with no luck."

"His sister had a heart attack and needs immediate surgery."

"Can you get in touch with him?"

Upon hearing about Alanna's condition, I dropped everything and rushed to the hospital. Throughout, I kept trying to contact my husband but to no avail. By the time I arrived, Dr. Julien Franklin was shaking his head, sighing.

"This surgery can only be done by Dr. Cook. We need to get him back as soon as possible."

Alanna had been living with a heart condition since she was young. My husband pursued a career in medicine precisely because of her. As a leading heart surgeon, he had devoted years to handling complex heart surgeries like hers.

With the situation urgent, I desperately tried to reach him. After countless calls, I finally got through. But it was Linda on the line.

"Emerson, is there something you need?" she answered.

"We're about to go hiking, so we're not coming back tonight."

Ignoring the edge in her voice, I spoke urgently into the phone.

"Alanna's had a heart attack. She needs surgery now—get him back to the hospital!"

But instead of concern, my husband replied impatiently, "Can't you just drop it?"

"Alanna is perfectly fine. Why are you wishing such terrible things on her?"

I knew this wasn't the time for an argument, so I held back my frustration and explained calmly.

"Noe, you need to come back."

"Alanna really needs you for the surgery..."

Before I could finish, the call was cut off. When I tried calling back, all I got was a message saying his phone was off.

Beside me, Alanna’s fiancé, Remy, was falling apart, tears streaming down his face.

"Sis, what are we going to do about Alanna?"

"Please, get my brother to come back and operate on Alanna!"

Their engagement party was scheduled for tomorrow, and no one had expected such a tragic turn of events today. I'd always treated Alanna like my own sister, and I wasn't about to lose hope. Fighting back my grief, I offered Remy a few reassuring words.

"Noe is her brother; he won't leave her in the lurch."

"I'll find Noe and bring him back. Call me if there are any updates."