No Room for Three: I Accepted Another Offer

Chapter 4

It was the final week of our onboarding training, and we were assigned to participate in an emergency medicine simulation.

Lilian was responsible for entering the medical orders, while I was assigned to verify them.

She made a mistake when entering an antibiotic prescription for a patient with a documented allergy.

I caught the error immediately and stopped the process before it could cause any harm.

But the moment the assessment ended, our instructor asked me to come to the office.

A formal incident report was already waiting on the desk.

Under the section labeled Person in Charge, my name was written clearly.

Damian was in the office too.

He pushed a pen toward me. "Just sign it."

I didn't move. "Lilian entered the order, not me."

"You were responsible for verification. You didn't catch it the moment the order was entered, so you're equally accountable."

"I caught it before the medication was given. That's what matters."

Damian looked away, avoiding my eyes.

"Grace Medical Center is conducting background checks for new hires right now. If this goes on Lilian's record, it could ruin her entire offer. You already have a position at St. Vincent's Hospital. A small mistake in a simulation assessment won't affect your future."

"So I'm the one who has to take the blame again?"

"Claire, this is only an internal document. No one outside the department will see it. The summa c*m laude honor isn't that important. The research data we took from you wasn't a big deal either. All that is nothing."

I turned the report to the final page.

The official disciplinary decision was written there in black and white.

If I admitted to a serious verification error, my appointment at St. Vincent's Hospital would be delayed for an entire year.

"Did you even read this page?"

Damian's expression changed slightly. For a brief moment, his calm facade cracked.

Lilian stood at the doorway, her eyes swollen and red as if she had been crying.

"Forget it. I'll sign it myself. It's not the end of the world if I don't get into Grace Medical Center."

She reached for the pen on the desk.

Damian stopped her immediately.

"You can't."

Then he turned back to me.

"Claire, you have your parents in this city. Waiting one more year isn't a big deal for you. If Lilian loses this opportunity, she has nothing to fall back on."

"And what about my life during this period?"

"I'll take care of you."

Those words hung in the air.

The office fell completely silent.

He actually thought that was a meaningful promise.

He had already decided that my life didn't matter, my career could be delayed whenever necessary, and my dignity was something he could sacrifice for someone else.

All because I loved him.

All because he believed I would stay no matter how much he hurt me.

My phone rang.

It was my mother.

She had already heard everything from Professor Alex, and the moment I answered, she began persuading me.

"Claire, Lilian never had parents to support her growing up. Can't you be more understanding? Damian is going to marry you someday anyway. If his career takes off, won't he give you a better life in the future?"

So my mother had known about their plan too.

Everyone had worked together to keep me in the dark.

But the moment they needed someone to take responsibility, they all took turns telling me to be reasonable.

I raised my head and looked directly at Lilian.

"Do you think I should sign this?"

Her lips trembled slightly before she answered.

"I'll never forget what you're doing for me."

I let out a bitter laugh.

Then I picked up the pen and signed my name at the bottom of the incident report.

The tension immediately disappeared from Damian's face.

He reached out and tried to pull me into his arms.

"Claire, I knew you wouldn't make things difficult for me."

I stepped away before he could touch me.

"Can I leave now?"

"Let's have dinner together tonight. I'll make it up to you."

"No need." I walked straight out of the office and called another hospital.

Two weeks earlier, Riverside State Institute in Southhaven had sent me a supplementary recruitment offer.

I had rejected it back then.

All because of Damian.

After hearing my inquiry, the person on the other end of the phone went silent for several seconds.

"The list hasn't been finalized yet, Dr. Parker. Are you sure you want to come?"

"I am."

"The workload here is intense, and it's a long way from home."

Through the glass window, I looked back at the three familiar faces inside.

Professor Alex was comforting Lilian.

Damian was wiping the tears from her cheeks.

My mother was still sending me messages, telling me to stop acting out.

I deleted the job offer email from St. Vincent's Hospital.

Then I backed up the incident report and the complete recording of the simulation assessment.

"Distance doesn't matter."

That night, I packed all my belongings and left the apartment key on top of Damian's most frequently used textbook.

He sent me a message.

Damian: Lilian is having a hard time. I'm taking her out for dinner. Don't wait up.

I didn't reply.

Just before the train departed, I turned off my phone and removed the matching couple ring I had worn for four years.

The platform slowly disappeared behind me.

All those unnecessary compromises.

All that endless waiting.

It ended here.