Office, First Hospital of Cangcheng.

Vivian Ashford stared blankly at the photo frame on the desk.

The man in the photo had sharp brows, bright eyes, and a straight, elegant posture. His white shirt sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, giving him that cool, untamed edge that made people look twice.

This was her husband, Ethan Mercer.

They had been married for five years. Every single day, rain or shine, she brought lunch to the hospital for him. But Ethan avoided her like she was trouble itself, and he had never once touched the food she brought.

While she was lost in thought, a sudden commotion broke out in the hallway outside.

"Where is she?!"

Ethan’s voice hit her ears, and Vivian shot to her feet.

What happened?

She hurried out. The moment she pulled open the door, she saw Ethan rushing past her like a gust of wind, carrying a woman in a hospital gown in his arms.

His voice was urgent, but his movements were unbelievably gentle. He even kept one hand around the woman’s head, careful not to let her bump into anything.

Vivian leaned against the office doorway, staring blankly as his figure disappeared through the ward door.

Who was that woman?

She had only caught a quick glimpse, but something about that face felt weirdly familiar, like she had seen it somewhere before. She just couldn’t remember where.

Some invisible force seemed to push her toward that ward, urging her to go see for herself.

Vivian walked over and peered through the door that hadn’t been shut properly, finally seeing the scene inside.

The woman on the bed was wearing an oxygen mask meant for heart patients. She lay flat against the sheets, clutching Ethan’s hand tightly, her eyes full of dependence.

And Ethan sat by the bedside, gripping her hand back just as tightly. His voice was so soft, so gentle, it was a tone Vivian had never heard from him before.

"Don’t be scared, Yaoyao. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you."

Vivian’s heart dropped hard.

She stumbled back two steps, then turned and left like she was running away from something she didn’t dare face.

Summer rain came fast and out of nowhere. In the back garden, quite a few nurses who hadn’t made it back to the main building in time were huddled under the eaves, taking shelter and using the rare break to gossip.

"Hey, did you guys see Dr. Mercer just now? I’m telling you, I’ve been at this hospital for years, and I’ve only seen him panic a handful of times. And every single time, it was because of that Miss Lawson in Room 203. So tell me, do you think Dr. Mercer likes her or not?"

A nurse beside her covered her mouth and laughed. "Obviously he does. Miss Lawson is gorgeous. If it were me, I’d like her too. It’s just such a pity. Congenital heart disease... her condition’s really hard to treat."

Vivian stood there, leaning against a pillar, feeling so weak she could barely stay upright.

She was Ethan’s lawful wife, yet all she could do was stand here like an outsider, listening to other people gossip about his "romance scandal," unable to say a single word to claim her place.

The nurses kept chatting, but Vivian couldn’t bear to listen anymore.

She stepped down the stairs and ran alone into the curtain of rain.

It wasn’t until after work that she returned to Ethan’s office.

Her pinned-up hair had been completely soaked through, so she had simply taken it down. It now hung loose over her shoulders, messy and damp. A strand stuck to one side of her cheek, making her look even more worn out.

The meal on the desk had already gone cold. Judging by where it sat, no one had touched it.

Vivian walked over and reached out to pack it up, but when she lowered her eyes, she saw the wedding ring on her left ring finger.

The diamond on it felt almost glaring.

It was a safe, standard design. It wouldn’t go wrong, sure, but there was nothing special about it either. No sign that it had ever been chosen with love.

Click.

The sound of the door opening came from behind her.

Vivian turned around sharply and saw Ethan taking off his white coat.

He wasn’t surprised to see her in his office, but he still frowned.

"Why are you here again?"

Those dark, deep eyes of his held nothing but cold distance.

Vivian bit her lower lip. Her face was pale, almost bloodless.

"I brought you food. You’re busy every day, and the food in the hospital cafeteria isn’t nutritious. I was worried your body wouldn’t hold up."

"I don’t need it."

What answered her was the office door closing.

That cold lunch made with care ended up in the trash after all.

Only this time, Vivian was the one who threw it away.

Looking at the carefully arranged dishes she had prepared, now mashed together in the trash until they looked like a mess, Vivian lowered her eyes and hid the hurt inside them.

It was close to two in the morning when Ethan finally came home, carrying the chill of the night with him.

The floor lamp in the living room was still on, and the warm yellow light added a little softness to the quiet house.

At the entryway, he casually hung up his coat. The moment he looked up, he saw Vivian waking groggily and pushing herself up from the sofa.

"Ethan, you’re back? There’s still food in the kitchen. I’ll go heat it up for—"

She stopped halfway.

She saw him standing in the shadows near the entrance, the line of his side profile sharp and cold. The look he gave her wasn’t even as warm as the one he gave strangers he had just met at the hospital.

"No need. I already ate."

Ethan walked past her and headed upstairs toward the bedroom.

Vivian lowered her head. One hand slowly touched the wedding ring on her finger, feeling the way it pressed uncomfortably into her skin. She had no idea where the courage came from, but she opened her mouth and called after him, her voice rough.

"Ethan, can you give me a little time? I think we need to talk."

His footsteps stopped.

Then his low, indifferent voice came from behind her, carrying a trace of impatience.

"What do you want to say now?"

Her throat felt so tight it hurt. The suffocating ache in her chest just wouldn’t go away. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Ethan’s face from earlier, that tenderness he had never once shown her.

"When I went to the hospital today, I saw you carrying a patient in the hallway. Ethan, that was the first time I’d ever seen you lose control like that. Is she... really important to you?"

Ethan frowned. His thin lips pressed into a hard line.

"She has congenital heart disease. Once it flares up, it’s extremely dangerous. Vivian Ashford, are you seriously jealous of a patient? You’re being ridiculous."

"She’s not just some ordinary patient, is she?" Vivian’s voice suddenly rose, and her eyes reddened. "I heard you call her Yaoyao. Ethan, she’s your first love, Jade Lawson, isn’t she?"

The air froze all at once.

After a long while, Ethan finally spoke.

"Yes. So what? I’m a doctor. Right now, under my care, she’s nothing more than a heart patient who needs a little more attention. Can you stop making a scene for no reason?"

Nothing more than a patient?

Thinking back to what she had seen today, Vivian felt a bitter ache spreading through her chest.

"Do you really mean that? Because I don’t think you only see her as a patient. Even the nurses at the hospital are saying—"

Ethan cut her off before she could finish.

"Even if I didn’t, so what? I told you from the start, when we got married, that I had no feelings for you. Even after marriage, I never wanted you interfering in my business. If you can’t accept that, then we can get divorced anytime."

Vivian froze.

She remembered the "three rules" Ethan had laid down when they first got married.

She had thought five years together would at least make him soften a little, make him show even the tiniest bit of pity or tenderness in this marriage.

Now it seemed that had only ever been her own hopeless fantasy.

But she couldn’t bear to divorce him.

She couldn’t let go of Ethan.