Chapter 1

I rushed to the ER the second I got the page—a victim of a brutal assault with severe, life-threatening vaginal tearing. Without a second thought, I immediately prepped her and began the emergency pelvic exam.

But my wife, Chloe, who was also the head nurse, snapped. Right in front of the traumatized patient’s family, she flew into a hysterical rage.

"Are there no female doctors in the OB-GYN department? Why does a man have to perform this exam?"

"And right in front of your own wife, too! Have you no shame, Logan?"

In an instant, her words lit a wildfire. The internet erupted, and I became the most hated predator in the city.

The hospital board, buckling under the PR nightmare, suspended my medical license and threatened to withhold my pay.

In a fit of cold fury, I packed my locker and walked out.

Let them. Without me, there wasn't a single surgeon in this city who could sew that patient back together.

"Logan Carter, you’re trending nationwide! Crazy keyboard warriors are driving miles just to throw rotten eggs at our lobby. They’re threatening to shut us down if we don’t make an example out of you!"

Director Richard Vance slammed his hands on his mahogany desk, his face purple with rage as he barked at me.

Outside, protesters were already lining the streets with picket signs. Online, a hate thread targeting me on Instagram had reached millions of views.

I stood my ground, my voice calm but firm. "Director Vance, I followed standard emergency protocols to the letter. As an OB-GYN specialist, when a patient presents with severe active hemorrhaging in the pelvic area, my first and only duty is to examine the wound and stop the bleeding—"

Chloe pushed the door open, cutting me off without a shred of respect. "Director Vance, the mob is blocking the ambulance bay. You need to sign his termination papers right now."

She shot me a glance filled with utter disgust.

"Being married to a creep like you is the biggest mistake of my life. You make my skin crawl."

Her words felt like a knife twisting in my chest.

I had done my duty to save a life. It was her loud, malicious accusations in front of the crowd that had branded me a monster. She had single-handedly destroyed my reputation as a doctor.

Chloe slid a blank resignation agreement onto the desk, her tone dripping with self-righteous poison. "Director Vance, under the circumstances, I suggest we fire Logan immediately. He should also be fined three thousand dollars a month from his pension as a penalty."

"If you agree, I’ll post the official announcement on the hospital bulletin board right now."

Director Vance glanced at the paper and gave me a sharp nod, signaling me to sign.

Chloe shoved the pen into my hand, mocking me. "For the sake of our past marriage, and so you don’t end up begging on the streets, I’ve pulled some strings. I got you a position as an unregistered orderly."

She threw a low-level staff application at my feet. "Consider yourself lucky."

Without waiting for me to respond, she ordered the security guards to clear my desk. All my personal belongings, including the assault victim's charts, were tossed onto the hallway floor.

I knelt and picked up the patient’s file, which had been scuffed by several footprints.

Looking straight at Chloe, I said flatly, "No one else in this city can perform this reconstruction surgery. I hope you can handle the consequences. Don't come crawling back to beg me."

When I had examined the patient earlier, I noticed her internal lacerations were highly abnormal.

She was suffering from deep arterial hemorrhaging and severe localized swelling. Standard suture methods would fail and cause permanent tissue necrosis.

Only I had mastered the newly developed dual-tension micro-suture technique required to save her.

But before I could even explain this to the director, loud footsteps and excited chatter echoed from the corridor.

Chloe’s cold face instantly melted into a beaming smile. She practically ran down the hallway to greet the man walking in.

"Julian! You’re finally here! Director Vance has been waiting for you."

Seeing his face, I felt like I had been struck by lightning.

In that single second, everything clicked. I finally understood why Chloe, my own wife, had publically humiliated me and branded me a predator.

Julian Sterling.

He looked at me, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Logan, old friend. Long time no see. Thanks for taking such good care of my Chloe while I was away."

"But now that I’m back from my fellowship in Europe, it’s time for you to hand back what’s mine—including Chloe, and your title as the clinic's top surgeon."

Julian Sterling was Chloe’s "one that got away"—her first love.

For the years we were married, his name had been a forbidden shadow over our relationship.

I had foolishly believed she had moved on.

But not only had she kept him in her heart, she had been plotting to ruin me just to clear a path for him.

Director Vance immediately organized a grand welcome in the main lobby. "Dr. Sterling is a brilliant mind with a master's degree from a prestigious European university and ten years of OB-GYN experience. With him leading the department, our hospital's reputation will be restored."

"Unlike Logan, who got a little lucky with some basic surgery and let it go to his head, dragging our entire hospital into a PR disaster."

Chloe clung to Julian’s arm, her smile radiant. "Director Vance, Julian is a true gentleman. He would never do anything as shameless and unprofessional as what Logan did."