Chapter 2
835 Words
By the time Maya returned to the private room, the farewell dinner was nearly over.
Evan looked up the moment he saw her, his brows tightening slightly. "Where'd you go?"
"Work." Maya picked up her bag. "Dr. Grant just messaged me. I need to head back and confirm the equipment list for the medical mission in Abloure."
"Abloure?" Evan shot to his feet, panic flashing briefly across his face. "What medical mission?"
Maya watched that flicker of panic and almost laughed.
What was he afraid of?
Afraid his stand-in was leaving, and no one would be around for him to keep "repaying his debt" to?
"I applied to lead the medical team to Abloure. Seven years." Maya met his gaze calmly. "The director had already approved it."
The room exploded instantly.
"Seven years? Mrs. Moore's basically relocating overseas..."
"Then what about her wedding with Mr. Cole?"
"Wasn't Miss Lane the one applying for Abloure? How did it turn into Mrs. Moore?"
Everyone's eyes bounced between the three of them as the atmosphere turned strange.
Evan's face darkened completely. He walked around the table and stopped in front of her.
"Why didn't you discuss something this important with me first?"
"This is my career choice." Maya looked him straight in the eye. "Just like Miss Lane didn't ask me for permission when she applied for the mission. Besides, my father owns shares in this hospital. I have every right to decide my own future."
The room fell silent for a beat.
Even the coworkers who'd always disliked Maya exchanged subtle looks.
Evan's expression stiffened.
"We're talking outside." He reached for her wrist.
"No need." Maya stepped back, keeping her distance. "I still have work at the hospital."
Before turning away, she added calmly, "And cancel the bridal fitting too. I probably won't need it anytime soon."
Then she walked out without another glance, ignoring Evan calling after her and the whispers erupting behind her.
The moment she stepped outside, the cool autumn wind rushed against her face.
Maya drew in a deep breath, savoring the freedom she hadn't felt in years.
She didn't go home. She went straight back to her office at Kingsley Medical Center.
After turning on her computer, she organized the supply list for the Abloure mission while contacting the partner hospital overseas to confirm the intake procedures.
At the same time, she opened the academic committee portal and submitted a formal review request for the Golden Scalpel Award thesis, attaching every piece of raw data and research record.
The award had always belonged to her.
And Lydia wanted to steal it? Not a chance.
In her previous life, Maya had thrown away every career plan she ever had, content to stand quietly behind Evan.
This time, she planned to give every ounce of her time and ambition back to herself.
Her father had been a legend in the medical field. Growing up around him, she'd dreamed of becoming the same kind of doctor, someone who saved lives instead of revolving around a man.
Not some replaceable attachment hanging off the side of his life while he played at repaying a debt.
By the time she finished everything, it was already two in the morning.
She had just stood up when her phone vibrated.
It was Evan.
Maya stared at his name flashing across the screen until the call disconnected on its own.
Then the messages started flooding in one after another.
Evan: We need to talk.
Evan: The Abloure mission isn't a joke. Don't act recklessly.
Evan: Maya. Pick up the phone.
The last message read:
Evan: When are you coming home? I'll come find you.
Maya looked at the screen and felt nothing but irony.
Back then, she'd spent years begging for his attention while he ignored her completely.
Now that she wanted nothing to do with him, he suddenly refused to let go.
She powered off her phone, then pulled an old photo album from the back of her drawer.
The first picture showed her father holding her as a child during a volunteer clinic in the grasslands.
He was smiling warmly. She was smiling without a single worry in the world.
"Dad..." Her fingers brushed lightly over the photo. "I'm sorry. I took the wrong path before. But from now on, I'll become someone you'd be proud of."
She closed the album and opened her email, drafting a long message to Dr. Grant.
In it, she laid out her plans for the Abloure mission in detail and requested the hospital's support in donating equipment and medication.
The moment she hit send, a weight lifted cleanly from her chest.
Outside the window, the sky slowly began to brighten.
A new day was coming.
And this time, her life would belong entirely to her.
As for Evan and Lydia...
Maya looked toward the pale light spreading across the horizon, relief softening her lips into a faint smile.
"In this life, I'm giving your freedom back. And finally giving mine back too."
- Writer
