Daniel looked like a strict professor, only missing a pair of glasses before he could step behind a lectern.
“Be honest!” he demanded.
Nora smiled sweetly, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes.
“Don’t be so serious, brother.”
Daniel cracked a reluctant laugh. “Stop talking back and just answer me!”
Nora pouted, but stayed quiet.
Robert Reynolds, unable to watch his daughter being scolded, softened instantly.
“Don’t be scared, Nora. If you don’t want to talk, don’t. Ignore your brother,” he said, shooting Daniel a glare. As patriarch, Robert’s authority was absolute—but Daniel was one of the few who could stand up to it.
Linda Reynolds gave her husband a single look, and he immediately bowed his head.
“Honey, what do you want to say?” he asked meekly.
Robert’s teacup was quickly offered to her, trying to please. Nora secretly sighed—her father was a typical wife-and-daughter doting man, siding with his wife seventy percent of the time and his daughter the other thirty.
Nora was long used to it. Linda was the one Robert cared for most in the world—whatever she wanted, he would follow without question.
Linda blew away the tea leaves on the surface before speaking.
“That man said he married you. Is it true?”
Nora froze, then tightened her clasped hands.
“Mom, it’s… a little complicated. Can you let me explain it slowly?”
Linda’s sharp gaze fixed on her, but she didn’t lash out.
“I know I shouldn’t take only his word for it,” she said evenly.
“Mom,” Nora said quickly, “I promise I’ll handle this.”
Linda’s disappointment was written all over her face.
“Nora, you never used to lie,” she said softly.
Nora’s eyes filled with tears, her lashes trembling like butterfly wings.
“Mom, please… just give me a little time?”
Linda shook her head. “It’s okay, honey. No matter what you decide, I’ll support you. But promise me—you must never let yourself get hurt.”
“I promise, Mom,” Nora said solemnly.
“Good,” Linda replied. “Just don’t hide things from me.”
Guilt twisted inside Nora. She had always been the perfect daughter—yet she was hiding the deepest secret of all.
Sweat beaded under her bangs as Linda sent Robert and Daniel away.
“There are things I need to discuss with Nora alone,” she said.
Once they were gone, Linda grew serious.
“Tell me the truth—have you ever been pregnant?”
Nora nearly broke into a sweat.
“No, no! Absolutely not!”
Linda could tell at a glance whether her daughter was lying.
“Then maybe you should wait a bit before starting a relationship with Ryan,” she suggested. “Clear this up first.”
“No need, Mom. I can handle it,” Nora said with a determined nod.
“Good. You’ll see Ryan soon—try to make it work between you two,” Linda said, her words carrying a subtle pressure.
Truthfully, Nora didn’t feel strongly about Ryan one way or the other, but with her mother’s words, it felt like a mission.
It was a heavy, invisible burden—but maybe Ryan would make a good life partner.
“Your job is all arranged?” Linda asked.
“Yes. I start tomorrow,” Nora replied.
“Good. As long as you’re here, your father and I will always protect you,” Linda said.
Nora nodded. “Mm-hmm.”
“I’m going to rest now,” Linda said.
That night, Nora lay awake for hours, ignoring the deeper meaning hidden in her mother’s words.
The next day, at St. Mary’s Medical Center, she ran into Ryan in the cardiothoracic department—and froze.
