Chapter 1
Chapter 1
I leaned against the wall, carefully cradling my six-month bump as I waited for my prenatal checkup.
Once the scheduled examination was done, I planned to visit my husband Aiden-maybe we could head home together.
After all, the rain was coming down hard outside. The rideshare app showed nearly 200 people ahead of me in the queue, and my phone signal kept cutting out
sporadically.
Aiden wasn’t scheduled for specialist clinic duty today, but one of his team’s doctor colleagues had called in sick last minute. So he’d been forced to cover a half-day shift.
The heavy smell of disinfectant in the hospital corridors mixed with the damp scent of the downpour outside, making me nauseous.
The waiting area was packed. Children crying, anxious inquiries, nurses trying to maintain order-all the sounds blended together into a headache-inducing
chaos.
I found an empty spot on the bench outside the obstetrics office and had just settled down when I spotted Aiden’s tall figure emerging from a consultation room
He wore his crisp white coat, pressed to perfection, his face still bearing the exhaustion from last night’s surgery.
But his gaze swept across the crowd with that familiar sharpness and… intensity. This was the Aiden I knew-calm, efficient, completely intolerant of chaos or rule-breaking.
As one of the youngest deputy chief cardiologists at a top New York hospital, his professionalism and strict adherence to protocol were practically carved into his bones.
I’d always considered this a strength.
Just as I was about to call out to him, I saw a figure skillfully weaving through the queue, heading straight for Aiden’s office.
That silhouette… was that Vera?
[ frowned. Vera was an intern who’d joined the department just over a month ago. Young, pretty, always flashing that sweet smile.
My first impression of her at the hospital had been positive-a breath of youthful energy.
But here was the problem: she shouldn’t be anywhere near Aiden.
Or more precisely, she shouldn’t be appearing in such a… privileged way.
Because Aiden had a habitual “rule”-to avoid unnecessary complications and distractions, all the interns and assistants he worked with were exclusively male.
This wasn’t something he’d actively demanded, but after several young female doctors had tried to “get close” through various methods-“accidentally” spilling water, messing up reports, asking for “guidance” until late at night-Aiden had had enough.
He’d requested that the training office only assign male interns to his team.
Over time, it became an unspoken understanding within the department.
Even the administrative assistants knew to simply leave documents on his desk-avoiding any accidental contact with Dr. Aiden.
So what was Vera doing here?
‘Aiden!” Vera’s voice carried that deliberately soft sweetness. “Sorry to bother you, but my stomach pain is really severe…”
Aiden turned slightly. I couldn’t even catch the change in his expression before I saw him raise his hand to pull open the consultation room door, gesturing for
Vera to enter.
Then, facing the patients and their families who’d been waiting outside for ages, he said flatly: “Please wait. Handling an emergency.”
Complaints erupted immediately.
Are you kidding me? We’ve been waiting all morning!”
“Tangency? That girl looked perfectly healthy just now.”
Chapter 1
“Yeah, isn’t Dr. Aiden supposed to be the most by-the-book guy here? Line-cutting?”
Aiden’s expression didn’t budge an inch, as if those voices simply didn’t exist.
He was about to close the door when his gaze inadvertently swept across the crowd and landed on me in the corner.
For a split second. I saw surprise flash in Aiden’s eyes. Then it shifted into something almost imperceptible… annoyance?
But he said nothing. With a sharp “bang,” he shut the consultation room door, blocking out everyone’s stares.
