Watching the two of them exchange looks right in front of me, my stomach turned.
If Ethan knew the man who had been killed on the table was his own father, would he still be so calm, so eager to thank Chloe for ripping out his dad’s heart for Buddy?
“Ethan Hayes, I am not signing this.”
But Ethan’s face was full of certainty.
“Nora, don’t forget we are husband and wife!”
“Even if you don’t sign it, I can sign it for you—and it’ll still be legally binding. Don’t even think about causing trouble for Chloe!”
He took out a backup copy of the waiver and donation consent form and signed his name with a flourish.
Watching the two of them flirt as they left, I dialed my lawyer.
“Draft me a divorce agreement—right now!”
That night, I had the divorce papers in hand and went straight to find Ethan.
But outside the private booth, I overheard the teasing inside.
“Chloe, I envy you. You got to perform surgery before even graduating!”
Chloe cast a shy glance at Ethan.
“It’s not my fault he wouldn’t admit he was getting old—he insisted on overexerting himself. The next day he was weak as a kitten, so I had to step up and take the scalpel to save the day.”
Silently, I hit record on my phone.
“Who are you calling old? Keep it up and I’ll make sure you can’t get out of bed tomorrow morning!”
Laughter erupted around the room. Chloe took a sip of wine and pressed her lips to Ethan’s.
“I wasn’t calling you old. I was just terrified by all the blood today. Silly me, I couldn’t tell an appendix from a heart and got you involved!”
“Nora will definitely make a scene with you when you get home! I feel so bad for you…”
Ethan gently smoothed the furrow between Chloe’s brows.
“Nora’s father’s worthless life saving Buddy is her good fortune!”
“If you still feel guilty, then tonight wear that sailor outfit—I want to try a new position…”
He used to say saving lives was his calling, but now he treated human life like a joke.
I couldn’t hold back anymore—I burst into the room.
“Ethan, aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning?”
A flash of guilt crossed Ethan’s eyes before he grew angry.
“Nora, are you following me?”
“Did I say anything wrong? Your dad is already dead—a useless lump of flesh—so what if it saved Buddy?”
I pulled out Mr. Hayes’s death certificate.
“Ethan Hayes, open your damn eyes and look carefully. The man who died was your father—not mine!”
Ethan’s pupils contracted, his body trembling slightly.
Chloe snatched my phone and threw it into a glass of water.
“Come on, the Photoshop marks are so obvious. Who are you trying to fool, a three-year-old?”
Ethan recovered, gripping my throat hard.
“Nora, do you even have a conscience?”
“My dad treated you better than he treated me, his own son, and you dare curse him?”
“No wonder your dad died so early—it was your own vile mouth that killed him!”
Mr. Hayes had collapsed with acute appendicitis but worried about interfering with Ethan’s work.
He didn’t want Ethan accused of nepotism, so he begged me to schedule him properly at St. Mary’s Medical Center.
By sheer bad luck, Ethan ended up performing the surgery.
An appendectomy wasn’t even a major procedure. Mr. Hayes had even asked me to go with him to the Farmers’ Market the next day to buy a turtle.
Who could have imagined he would lose his life instead?
Even with the facts before him, Ethan refused to see.
Chloe’s eyes glinted with malice as she spoke.
“Nora, I know it’s hard to accept your dad’s death.”
“How about this—when Buddy is discharged in two days, we’ll hold a ‘Recognition Banquet’ so you can formally treat him as family!”
Ethan clapped first, grinning.
“Great idea!”
