Her Silhouettes of Betrayal

In the corridor, Yvonnie Uriah spotted William Vance, tall and confidently striding in a white coat, as he pushed open the door to his office while engaged in a phone call. "I need to find hematopoietic stem cells that match Charlise Vance, no matter what it takes!" he said assertively. Yvonnie observed her husband entering the office and wondered who Charlise Vance was, they had been together for a while and she had never heard that voice before. She was slightly startled when her phone vibrated  in her hands, curious as to who was trying to get her while she was at work, she checked her messages and saw a stranger had sent her a photo. In the photograph, a young man and woman held hands with a three- or two-year-old girl. The background appeared to be in another country. The man sported a long black coat and a soft smile while the woman had long, slightly curly hair. She was a tall, breathtaking beauty who was smiling down at the little girl who resembled a doll, creating an image of a warm, harmonious family of three. What struck Yvonnie most was the man's affectionate gaze as he lowered his eyes to look at the girl. His tender, adoring expression was detectable even through the phone screen. Yvonnie  was left speechless. "Mrs. Vance," a passing doctor greeted her, and she responded absentmindedly, nearly dropping her phone to the ground as her fingers trembled. After three years of marriage, Yvonnie and William had a seemingly perfect relationship. When did he have a chance to be unfaithful, he and the little girl did look quite similar. It could also be all in her head as well. She collected herself and quickly typed a message on her phone: "I don't know who you are, but please save your energy. My relationship with my husband cannot be destroyed by a simple picture." She couldn't fathom what these people were thinking. She and William had been married for several years, and now someone had even sent their daughter to him and here was another intruder. Disgusted, Yvonnie sent the message and, assuming that the people on the other end had seen it, added the number to her blacklist. She stashed her phone in her bag and approached the door to the dean's office. William's phone was temporarily out of service, and his brows still bore traces of anxiety that hadn't yet dissipated, he was taken aback when he saw her. Yvonnie walked up to him, placed her hands on his shoulders, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him on the cheek. "I've been waiting for you to come home. It's been three days, and you haven't responded to my messages.” She felt a tinge of jealousy and hurt, an emotion she had never experienced before due to being left out. William softened, saying, "How could I forget you? I've just been exceptionally busy these past few days." He tenderly caressed her head, his expression always doting. Normally, if they hadn't seen each other for a few days, he would have pulled her close and held her for a while but not today, there was something concealed in his eyes. At that moment, someone opened the office door, revealing a young woman with tears in her eyes. Upon seeing the closeness between Yvonnie and William, her gaze turned icy. "May I have a private word with him?" She directed the question at Yvonnie, radiating hostility. Yvonnie eyed the woman. The face in the photo overlapped with the woman before her. William furrowed his brow and gently said to Yvonnie, "Go back  home without me I shall be home soon I promise." "Alright," Yvonnie glanced back at the woman with suspicion before turning to exit. However, after taking a few steps, she heard the woman sobbing. "William, Charlise, how did she contract such an illness? If something happens to her, what should I do?" Peering through the partially open door, she witnessed William standing there with furrowed brows and a complex expression. On the other side, Zadie Morgan, about a foot away, was covering her face, her long hair disheveled, and her shoulders trembling as she cried. It appeared like a deeply emotional scene, reminiscent of lovers. Yvonnie caught her breath and, seizing the opportunity, turned and fled. William returned at dusk, his face etched with exhaustion. A meal awaited him, as Yvonnie sat at the dining table in dark green silk pajamas, that accentuated her figure and fair complexion. The room had the warm glow of candles. "You're back," she greeted him, swirling the wine glass in her hand, she arched her eyebrows and smiled sweetly. William watched Yvonnie under hooded eyes as he took in her entire body under the lighting of the candles and he swallowed hard. "Just give me a moment." He showered and changed into clean clothes, and returned to a glass of wine. "We haven't shared a meal in three days, so let's toast tonight," she proposed, raising her delicate wine glass to clink with him. As he watched her as she raised her head towards him the glow of the candle light flickered against her neck, and she took a quick swig of her glass of red wine. William followed suit, taking a sip while gazing lovingly at the woman before him. They had been together for five years, and every gesture she made, from a young girl to the alluring woman she had become, still held an irresistible allure for him. His phone began to ring, but William checked it without answering, and Yvonnie could probably guess who the caller was. Her wine-flushed face was beautiful, she stood up with a smile and walked over, leaning into his arms. "Is Charlise Vance your child? Are you hiding an affair from me?" Her vision was a little blurry, one arm hung around his neck, and her other hand held up his chin. It was the way she looked when she had a bit too much to drink, but he knew she was merely testing him and not genuinely intoxicated. There was a shadow of darkness in William's handsome eyes. At that moment, his brows furrowed slightly. He took her hand, which had been exploring his facial features, placed it on his lips, and kissed her. "I don't have children, sometimes what you see isn't always the whole truth. Trust me, Yvonnie." His eyes held depth and sincerity, as the photograph and the scene in the office replayed in Yvonnie 's mind. The director of Vance Hospital, a renowned cardiologist in the country, a man who took great pride in his work. She shook her head to dispel the thoughts—if she couldn't resist temptation, then who were others not to try to take him away from her. Yvonnie's thoughts were in turmoil when the man's lips covered hers, and he carried her to the bedroom. This was the man she had loved thoroughly with all her heart.. That night, all doubts were cast aside. Yvonnie was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep. In her daze, she thought she heard her phone ring softly. She was too drained to open her eyelids, she had no idea when William left. When she woke up in the morning, she found a message from him on her phone: "The patient has an emergency, and I must leave to attend to it." Yvonnie felt a pang of disappointment and began to get out of bed to freshen up when her phone rang. She stared at the foreign number and answered cautiously, “Hello?” A cold female voice spoke, "Yvonnie, do you still want to play dumb? I'm Zadie Morgan, and Charlise is William's child. Mr. and Mrs. Vance know, as do his closest friends." "Do you know why he refused to have children after three years of marriage with you?” Silence dangled in the air before she responded to her own question “Because we have a daughter..." As Yvonnie listened to the enraged voice, her head throbbed. She vaguely recalled a photo she had found in a drawer in his office years ago. The photo showed a beautiful girl, and though she couldn't remember the girl's appearance after all these years, she recalled the words written on the back of the photo: "To: William Vance. Love, Zadie Morgan." At the time, she had been curious and showed it to him, asking who the girl was. Had he had an ex before her? He had looked at the photo and said, "Yes, but that was a long time ago.” Then he tore up the photo and threw it in the trash. But had they truly lost contact? No, if what Zadie was saying was true then that wouldn't be possible! Zadie's voice persisted, "Yvonnie, William Vance and I have been together for eight years, from school days to now, he never loved you. When he slept with you and married you, it was because he couldn't be with me. I left him and went to the United States alone..." Yvonnie shivered as a long-forgotten memory resurfaced. Five years ago, she and William met for the first time in front of the Potala Palace. He had seemed deeply troubled, and she had fallen in love with him at first sight, even getting herself intentionally drunk. When she woke up, she found herself lying next to William, and they were both undressed. He had promised to take responsibility and bought a ring that day. Yvonnie felt a chilling sensation throughout her body, her face paling. She suddenly grabbed her car keys and rushed out. She refused to believe any of this was true and wanted answers from him. As she drove, her mind was in turmoil, and she didn't even realize when she ran a red light, the sound of honking blared in the background. She quickly arrived at Vance Hospital. Her hasty arrival led to an accidental collision with the Mercedes Benz parked beside her, which she immediately recognized as the Vance family's car. Were William Vance's parents here to visit Charlise Vance? Yvonnie's heart raced, its thumping audible. Finding the hematology ward was easy; it was on the eighth floor of the inpatient building. Charlise Vance was in the innermost ward at the very top. Yvonnie crossed paths with several medical staff along the way. They looked at her with surprise and exchanged whispers, but her state of confusion prevented her from noticing. In hindsight, they likely thought she was a fool. Her husband and his ex had a child in his own hospital, and she had been completely oblivious. The ward's door was partially ajar, and Mr. Vance and Mrs. Vance were inside. Zadie's eyes were red, as if she had been crying. Mrs. Vance spoke with concern, "Why does my Charlise have to go through all this? Will, when can Charlise undergo the surgery?" William was standing facing the door, his face and furrowed brows evident. "We've found a donor, and the surgery can take place by the end of the month at the latest." In the inner room of the ward, a child suddenly called out, "Dad..." William Vance immediately bypassed his mother and strode into the inner room. "Charlise, Dad's here!"