Chapter 4
1391 Words
Maya's grip tightened around her phone as the pain in her stomach twisted harder.
She let out a cold laugh. "I'm so sick I can barely leave the house. How exactly was I supposed to deliver funeral clothes? Evan, Lydia says one thing and you believe her without question. Isn't that right?"
Silence hung on the other end for a few seconds before his voice turned colder. "So now you're going to act like your father and use favors to pressure me too? Haven't I done enough for you all these years? Why would you pull something like this?"
The words sliced through her chest like blades. Maya hung up without another word.
She forced herself through the rest of the physical exam. The moment she stepped out of the department, the senior doctor hurried toward her with the report in hand, his face grim.
"Maya, your gastroscopy results don't look good. Polyps. Severe ulcers too. You need proper treatment immediately. No more staying up late, and absolutely no more stress."
Maya accepted the report, her fingertips cold.
The terror of dying from terminal stomach cancer still lingered deep in her bones from her previous life.
Finding it this early already felt like mercy.
"Thank you, Dr. Logan. I'll take the medication and come back for follow-ups on time."
"And one more thing," he added. "The Abloure mission's been scheduled for Thanksgiving. The private flight's already arranged.
"Your stomach's in bad shape, and conditions there are rough. Are you really sure you don't want to reconsider?"
Thanksgiving.
Maya's chest tightened.
That had been the date of her wedding with Evan.
Back then, he'd told her she lost her mother young and later lost her father because of him. He said she feared the holidays most of all — being alone on Thanksgiving had always been her nightmare. So he wanted to give her a home.
She'd believed every word.
Only later did she realize marriage had been nothing more than another way for him to repay a debt.
"I've already made my decision." Maya lifted her eyes, steady and unwavering. "I'll take care of myself and leave on schedule."
The old director sighed. "Dr. Grant wanted to organize a farewell party for you, but you turned that down too. You've always been stubborn, Maya."
"Let me leave quietly." Maya smiled faintly. "And don't announce the updated mission roster until after I'm gone. I don't want unnecessary complications."
After putting away the report, she headed toward her office.
Halfway down the hallway, several nurses were huddled together gossiping excitedly.
One nurse gasped in surprise. "The Golden Scalpel Award results are out. It really was Lydia!"
Another leaned in, eyes wide with excitement. "I heard Mr. Cole gave her nineteen white roses and one red rose during the ceremony. He even said, 'There may be thousands of similar flowers in this world, but you're my one and only rose.' God, that's so romantic."
A third covered her mouth, whispering, eyes darting around. "And right after the ceremony, Mr. Cole collapsed. His face turned completely white. Lydia's bringing him to the hospital now."
Someone at the back shook her head with a smirk. "That's real love. Unlike some people. If you steal someone, they'll never truly belong to you anyway."
The words stabbed at her chest, but they barely stirred anything anymore.
She was no longer the woman who broke apart every time Evan chose Lydia over her.
Then chaos erupted at the far end of the hallway.
"Hurry! Mr. Cole collapsed!"
Maya froze for half a second before instinct kicked in and she ran toward the commotion.
Evan lay unconscious on a gurney, his face deathly pale, breathing weak.
Lydia stood beside him in panic, calling his name over and over.
"It's a sudden shock!" one of the doctors shouted urgently. "He's had a kidney transplant before. This could be acute rejection. He probably overworked himself and skipped his medication again!"
Maya immediately crouched beside him to check his vitals.
"Get him to the emergency room now. Prepare intravenous anti-rejection medication and contact nephrology for an emergency consult."
Her calm voice snapped everyone back into motion.
A friend of Evan's rushed over and immediately started blaming her.
"Dr. Moore, you know he has to take his medication on time. Couldn't you pay more attention?"
"Lydia kept reminding him at the ceremony, but he said you hadn't prepared the medicine, so he didn't take it!"
"Lydia's practically crying herself apart over him. She cares more than you, and you're supposed to be his fiancée!"
Maya's grip tightened around the stethoscope.
In her previous life, she'd placed his medication where he'd see it every single day and reminded him constantly.
This time, after deciding to let him go, she'd stopped doing all that.
And he actually hadn't even bothered preparing his own medicine.
Lydia squeezed forward, eyes red as she tried to smooth things over. "Please don't blame Maya. She's probably busy too.
"As long as Evan's okay. I already sent my assistant home to grab his medication. It should be here soon."
Her understanding little act only made Maya look colder and more uncaring by comparison.
But Maya knew better.
Anti-rejection medication had to stay refrigerated. By the time the assistant got back and forth, it would already be too late.
"Don't wait." Maya stood up immediately. "I have backup medication and his full medical records in my office. I'll get them. Keep his vitals stable until I'm back."
Back in her previous life, she'd kept emergency medication and copies of his records locked inside her office safe just in case.
She never expected she'd actually need them one day.
Maya sprinted back to her office, grabbed everything, then rushed straight back to the emergency room.
She handed the medication and records directly to the attending physician.
"Inject this dosage. His donor match report and previous rejection history are all inside. Give them to the consulting team."
The doctor followed her instructions immediately.
Not long after, Evan's breathing finally stabilized, and he was pushed into surgery.
Maya let out a slow breath of relief and turned toward the restroom, only to have Chloe block her path.
Smack!
The slap cracked sharply across the hallway. Heat exploded against Maya's cheek.
"If anything happens to Evan, I'll never forgive you!" Chloe shouted, eyes burning with fury. "Did you skip preparing his medication on purpose?
"You were trying to kill him so you could take our family's money and hospital shares for yourself, weren't you?
"Maya, you disgusting b***h!"
Maya pressed a hand against her burning cheek, her eyes turning completely cold.
"People with filthy minds only see filth in everyone else."
Chloe opened her mouth to argue, but Maya stepped forward first and looked straight into her eyes.
"Open your eyes and look carefully. I'm the one who just brought the medication from my office."
Her voice stayed calm, but every word carried an icy edge.
"If you actually care about your brother, go wait outside the operating room instead of standing here screaming and hitting people.
"And one more thing. I have zero interest in anything your family owns."
Chloe was about to keep fighting when the operating room doors suddenly opened.
The doctor stepped out and removed his mask. "Family members?"
Everyone rushed forward at once.
"Luckily the anti-rejection medication arrived in time. He's out of immediate danger for now. He'll need round-the-clock care and at least half a month of observation afterward."
Lydia immediately stepped up. "Doctor, I'll take care of Evan. I understand his condition best."
Chloe quickly chimed in, "Exactly. Lydia's the most careful. She'll definitely take good care of Evan."
The people around them immediately started praising Lydia for being loyal and devoted.
Not one person remembered who'd brought the life-saving medication and critical records.
Maya watched the scene unfold and let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh.
Then she turned and walked out of the hospital without hesitation.
Coincidentally, the hospital had just organized an emergency relief mission to a nearby mountain region to help elderly villagers and left-behind children. Maya signed up immediately.
That same night, carrying nothing but a suitcase, she boarded a bus headed for the mountains.
In this life, she refused to keep playing the selfless caretaker.
This time, she was going to live for herself.
- Writer
