Chapter 2

Chief Richard Evans's daughter, Seraphina, suffered from congenital heart disease. Without immediate surgical intervention, she wouldn't survive.

But the night before the scheduled surgery, my wife, Chloe, told me the procedure had to be postponed. She claimed Seraphina’s pre-op lab results didn't meet the safety standards.

Two weeks ago, Seraphina had been rushed to the ER in a deep coma. I had worked for twenty-four hours straight without sleep to save her life.

However, her condition was deteriorating rapidly, and she desperately needed a second, corrective surgery.

To prepare for this, I had spent the last fortnight burying myself in medical journals, constantly refining the surgical plan. But the night before, Chloe informed me that Seraphina’s blood work was unstable and that we needed to stick to conservative treatment for a few more days.

That night, I didn't sleep a wink. I stayed up trying to figure out another way to manage Seraphina's symptoms.

But the next morning, when I finally rushed to the hospital with a revised plan, I was told that Julian had already taken my place in the operating room.

Chief Evans slammed his office door and threw a furious punch right at my jaw.

"Ethan Vance! I trusted you because of your reputation, and because you saved my daughter’s life once before. I handed her over to you!

And you didn't even show up for the surgery? Do you have any idea that because of your negligence, my daughter almost died on that table?!"

I froze, my mind going completely blank.

Before I could even process what was happening, the office door burst open.

Chloe marched in, screaming at the top of her lungs. "Ethan! Did you stay up playing video games all night again?!"

"The surgery was scheduled hours ago! We called you more than a dozen times, and you didn't answer a single one! Is a patient's life worth less than your stupid games?!"

Looking at the sheer rage in Chloe's eyes, I realized she wasn't acting. She genuinely hated me right now, playing the righteous hero defending the Chief's daughter.

"Chloe, what are you talking about?"

It was she who had told me just two days ago that Seraphina’s labs were bad and the surgery was postponed.

I had spent days in my study researching for nothing.

And now, in her mouth, I was just a lazy husband who stayed up playing video games?

"What? You think just because I’m your wife, I’ll cover up for an irresponsible doctor like you?"

"I don't care if you play games on your days off, I let it slide because I thought you were just stressed. But today of all days! You actually showed up late because of it? Ethan, you disgust me."

"If Julian hadn't stepped up to take over the surgery and save Seraphina, this entire hospital would be paying for your stupidity right now! Do you even care?!"

Hearing Chloe lay it out like that, I would have to be brain-dead not to get it.

She had gone through all this trouble, spinning a web of lies, just for Julian—her precious junior from medical school.

Chief Evans only had one daughter. Whoever saved her would have a golden ticket to the top of the department, maybe even become the next Chief of Surgery.

Anyone would drool over such an opportunity. But in the end, Chief Evans had chosen me because I was the one who performed the first successful surgery.

It should have been a good thing, and I was completely confident. But Chloe had been miserable about it. She had even sneered at me when we were alone.

"Ethan, you look so honest on the outside, but you sure know how to kiss the Chief's ass," she had said. "You're just using your seniority to block talented younger doctors who don't have your connections."

At the time, I was too focused on the upcoming surgery to care about her sarcasm.

Now, I realized how incredibly stupid I had been.

She had intentionally lied about the lab reports, making sure I would miss the surgery, just so Julian could steal the spotlight.

Just as I was about to defend myself, the office door opened again.

This time, it was Julian.

Seraphina's condition was highly complex. It couldn't be cured, only managed. Since I had performed her first surgery two weeks ago, her body was still incredibly weak.

The second surgery was supposed to be a delicate, highly precise adjustment to stabilize her heart, followed by careful monitoring to see if a third surgery would be necessary.

Seeing the smug grin on Julian's face as he walked in, you'd think he had cured heart disease forever.

Chloe, who had deliberately dressed in a sleek, form-fitting designer dress today, stood right next to him.

If you didn't know any better, you’d think they were the married couple here.

The moment Julian walked in, he bowed his head with fake humility. "Dr. Vance, I’m so sorry. Why are you only getting here now?"

I stared at him, my eyes ice-cold.

No one knew better than him why I was late.

Seeing that I remained silent, Julian continued, "I don't know what kept you, but Seraphina's condition became critical. We couldn't reach you.

As your resident, and the only other doctor who assisted in her first surgery, I felt I was the only one who understood her case."

"So, I took the liberty of leading the procedure. Dr. Vance, please don't be angry with me."

His voice grew softer and softer. Even though I hadn't uttered a single word since he entered, he was putting on such a pitiful show, making it look like I was some big, bad bully.

"Julian, you’ve been his assistant for three years. You’re more than ready to lead your own surgeries," Chloe cut in, her voice dripping with warmth.

"This was entirely Ethan's fault. You did the right thing by stepping up for the patient."

"You don't need to care about Ethan's feelings. He doesn't own this hospital. A doctor who shows up late and lacks basic ethics has no right to blame you."

Hearing my wife's words, a sharp, stabbing pain went through my chest.

When Julian first joined the hospital three years ago, he made so many mistakes that no attending surgeon wanted to touch him.

It was Chloe who had begged me, crying, to take him under my wing.

And I had mentored him for three long years.