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All eyes were on me. Their silent stares burned into my skin, suffocating me with judgment and pity.
Trying to salvage what little dignity I had left, I chose to give in and quietly return to my room.
With a sudden surge of anger and helplessness, I threw the album onto my desk and headed back straight to the ER. Work was the only thing keeping me together at that time.
But as the hours ticked by, the toll of skipped meals and emotional exhaustion began to weigh on me.
By the late afternoon, I found myself gripping the edge of the desk at the nurse’s station, my knuckles white as
waves of nausea and dizziness rolled over me.
The nurse at the station glanced up from her paperwork, her brows furrowing in concern. “Is there anything I can help you with, Dr. Amelia?” she asked, her voice soft and worried.
I forced myself to straighten, shaking my head even as my legs felt unsteady. “I’m fine,” I lied, plastering on a
smile that felt more like a grimace.
Her expression did not change, her sympathy evident. “You’ve been overworking yourself, doc. Please take a
break.”
I brushed off her concern with a weak wave of my hand. “No worries,” I said, my voice thin. “I’ll feel better after
some medicine.”
The nurse hesitated, but eventually nodded and returned to her work
However, before I headed toward the medicine cabinet, determined to grab something for my stomach, the world seemed to tilt and sway, and the next thing I knew, I was falling.
Suddenly, I dreamed of Evelyn. Her image filled my mind. Her perfect smile, the soft–spoken words I had once
believed were genuine.
But it turned out, behind that polished mask of kindness was a woman who saw an opportunity and seized it.
Actually, I had always been aware of Evelyn’s presence, even from the first time I met Liam.
It was during one of my late–night shifts as an intern at the hospital three years ago.
The Emergency Room was bustling, as it usually was, when an ambulance arrived with a patient suffering from a
critical gunshot wound.
“He’s losing too much blood,” a paramedic yelled.
“Get me a 16–gauge IV and prepare him for surgery!” I barked, adrenaline coursing through me.
As he was scheduled in the operating room, the name of the patient was finally revealed, Liam Carlisle.
I learned that he was a prosecutor, infamous for being cold and unyielding when it came to criminals.
Apparently, his shooter was one of those criminals–a prisoner enraged by the harsh sentence Liam had recommended to the judge.
I remember thinking. “This man’s life is dangerous. His world seemed shrouded in peril, radiating a kind of intensity that warned others to stay away.
Forget Me Onci, Farewell Form
After the surgery, I visited his room for a post–op checkup. His condition was stable, though his piercing blue eyes followed me every time I walked in.
“Dr. Amelia,” he said once, his voice still hoarse from the anesthesia. “Do doctors always look this serious, or just lucky to have one who never smiles?”
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I raised an eyebrow at his attempt at humor. “If you’re well enough to crack jokes, Mr. Carlisle, you’re well enough to cooperate with your recovery plan.”
He chuckled, wincing slightly from the pain. I did not think much of it at the time, chalking it up to his personality. It was during one of these visits that I met Evelyn for the first time.
“You must be Dr. Amelia,” she greeted me with a warm smile. “I’m Evelyn, Liam’s…friend.”
Friend. That word had struck me as odd, even then. The way she lingered at his bedside, her fingers lightly brushing against his hand, suggested there was more to their relationship.
As a woman, I could not ignore the way she looked at him. Evelyn liked Liam. That much was clear.
And honestly, the two of them looked like a perfect match. She was a lawyer, and he was a prosecutor. Their worlds aligned seamlessly
However, the day before Liam was discharged from the hospital, he suddenly sat up in bed, wincing but determined as I did the last check–up.
“Amelia,” he said, his voice steady despite his injuries.
“Yes, Mr. Carlisle?” I replied, not looking up from my notes.
*Stop calling me that,” he said with a smirk. “It’s Liam. And I want to tell you something.”
I glanced at him, startled by the serious look in his eyes.
“I like you,” he said bluntly. “I’ve liked you since the first moment I saw you in the ER. Even when I was in pain, all I could think about was how kind and determined you looked. I want to get to know you, Amelia ”
My jaw nearly dropped. I had not seen that coming. Yes, he had joked around with me during his recovery, but I
had dismissed it as banter.
“But Mr. I mean, Liam,” I stammered. “You…you don’t even know me.”
“Then let me get to know you,” he said, his eyes holding mine.
Despite my initial hesitation, his persistence won me over. Over the following weeks, Liam pursued me
relentlessly, breaking down the walls I had built around my heart. I fell in love with him and when he proposed to me,
I said yes.
Through him, I also grew closer to Evelyn. She had seemed so supportive of our relationship, always smiling and encouraging. I felt foolish for ever thinking she had feelings for Liam.
At least, that was what I thought back then.
However, then I realized my thought, my intuition was not wrong.
“Amelia, wake up!” a voice called out urgently, shaking me from the fog of unconsciousness.
I opened my eyes slowly, blinking against the harsh hospital lights. My professor stood over me, her face etched
with worry.
After making sure everything was alright, she was advising me to skip my night shift that day and rest.
I nodded weakly, feeling grateful that there was still someone who cared. “Thank you, Prof. Sorry for bothering
you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
After being discharged from the observation room, I grabbed my phone from my pocket and checked it.
My heart sank when I saw the screen light up with dozens of missed calls from Theodore’s daycare.
