Chapter 1

When I saw my ex-husband again, he was being parachuted in to be the new director of our hospital. Before this, he had repeatedly misunderstood my sincerity due to my best friend's instigations. That same woman was also the reason he became my ex-husband. As the hospital's deputy director, I managed to coexist peacefully with him. That was, until the end of the workday. That evening, the head nurse brought news. "Dr. Henderson, the city medical association, is hosting a networking banquet tonight. Leaders from all the major hospitals will be attending." The nurses around me debated attending. Just as I was about to agree, he suddenly appeared at the office door. "Dr. Henderson, you don't have the time. You need to stay and work on the hospital restructuring plan tonight." Under everyone's watchful eyes, he summoned me into the director's office. Sitting behind his desk, he gazed at me with ice-cold eyes. "Everyone else may leave. But you must stay. If I find out that you attended that banquet tonight, you'll have to bear the consequences." … Memories of the past flashed through my mind, igniting a fire in my chest. "Joel Larkin, where was this dominance back then?" I scoffed. Without waiting for a response, I turned and walked out. The nurses immediately gathered around me. "Dr. Henderson, do you know the new director?" I shook my head. "Hey, I must say though, Dr. Henderson, the new director is so young! I heard that he graduated from Harvard Medical School and is still single." At those words, several gossiping nurses started chattering excitedly. The noise greatly irritated me. "Enough. He's married—divorced, actually." I ignored their shocked expressions and grabbed my bag, ready to leave for the day. "How do you know so much?" a young nurse curiously pressed on. I sneered inwardly. Of course I knew. I was the misunderstood ex-wife. I didn't offer an answer before striding toward the elevator. I had told myself countless times not to let the past upset me. Yet, I couldn't stop the waves of emotion that surged when my old flame reappeared as my superior. Joel Larkin and I had been married for five years. I had carefully prepared a candlelit dinner to celebrate our fifth anniversary. But instead of joining me for dinner, he was on the hospital rooftop, sharing a romantic confession with my most trusted best friend, Elise Jenkins. As shown in the hospital's surveillance footage, they embraced and kissed. Onlookers showered them with blessings, and they were dubbed the golden couple of the medical industry. Overnight, they became the model love story in the city of Evermere. Abundant were sweet blessings, romantic declarations, and joyful laughter. Yet, none of it had anything to do with me. All I could do was quietly clear away the dinner I had prepared and hide in the on-call room alone. Before leaving for work that morning, Joel had promised me a proper celebration. It was a shame I had to find out his idea of celebrating this way.