CHAPTER 1: THE GIRL BENEATH THE WHITE COAT
The hall was filled with young girls, their eyes fixed on Emilia as she stood on the stage.
She looked around the room and smiled.
“While I was growing up as a little girl, I was surrounded by people. My parents had people working for them, my dad had a company, and things were going well for my family.
“Until tragedy hit.
“My mom, Helen, suddenly fell sick. After several hospital visits, tests, medications, counseling, and countless prayers, we discovered that she had breast cancer.
“We tried everything we could.
“But in the end, we lost her.
“I was only twelve years old.
“I remember seeing my mother lying there lifeless. I couldn't understand it. I couldn't believe that the woman who had always been there for me was suddenly gone.
“I cried endlessly.
“And then it dawned on me that I was now the oldest child and the only girl among my two brothers. Somehow, I felt like I had automatically become the mother of the house.
“I didn't want to accept that responsibility. I was just a little girl who had lost her mother. I didn't know how to handle it.
“As I grew older, I began learning more about what had happened to my mother. I started blaming myself, thinking that maybe I should have done more for her.
“I was young. I didn't understand everything that was happening, and there was nothing I could do to change the past.
“But that pain gave me a dream.
“I decided I would become a doctor.
“My journey started from there.
“When I was fifteen, I went to a high school where boys and girls studied together.
“And I fell in love with a boy.
“Unfortunately, he didn't feel the same way about me.
“I acted like a fool because I genuinely liked him, but he made me feel stupid. He rejected me publicly, and I became devastated.
“I cried so many times.
“I stopped wanting to go to school because I was embarrassed. I kept asking myself, ‘What's wrong with me? Why am I not enough? Will anyone ever like me?’
“I begged my dad to change my school because I couldn't face my classmates anymore.
“I didn't really have anyone to talk to. My childhood best friend had relocated, and I felt completely alone.
“So, in tenth grade, I changed schools.
“I thought I was going to get a fresh start.
“I thought I would make new friends who would love and care about me.
“Oh, I was wrong.
“I made enemies.
“I didn't even realize that I was intelligent and talented in ways that made some people uncomfortable.
“I became friends with three girls—Princess, Sharon, and Serena.
“I thought I had finally found good friends.
“They became my worst nightmares.
“Princess stole my first boyfriend and humiliated me in front of my classmates.
“There was one Valentine's Day when I bought a gift for my boyfriend. I had put so much thought into it.
“She came and destroyed everything I had prepared.
“I was heartbroken.
“I stopped talking to her for a while, but eventually, she apologized and begged me to forgive her.
“I did.
“But what she did afterward hurt me even more.
“She told everyone at school one of my family's private secrets.
“Suddenly, people were calling me a lowlife who thought she could use her family's money to climb to their level.
“That was one of the moments that changed me.
“I was wealthy, but I had never looked down on anyone.
“Instead of allowing their words to destroy me, I became more determined.
“I wanted to prove something—not just to them, but to myself.
“So I put more effort into my education.
“I studied harder.
“I graduated from high school and left without saying goodbye to any of them.
“I hoped to enter college immediately.
“But it didn't happen.
“I waited three years before I finally entered college and began medical school.
“And during medical school, I decided to give love another chance.
“I was a virgin, inexperienced, and completely new to relationships.
“I thought I had finally met someone I could trust.
“I wanted him to be my first.
“But I later discovered that he was cheating on me and had never had good intentions toward me.
“So I left.
“It broke me.
“After everything I had already experienced, that relationship became the final straw.
“I promised myself I wasn't going to get into another relationship.
“My heart had already been broken too many times.
“I wasn't ready for any more pain.
“But despite all the challenges, struggles, and hardships, I kept pushing.
“Something inside me wanted to become somebody great.
“Part of me wanted to show those people from high school that I would become better than they ever imagined.
“So I studied.
“While other students dropped out because medical school was difficult, I refused to give up.
“I told myself that I was going to achieve my goal.
“My biggest supporters were my dad and my siblings.
“We became extremely close.
“I didn't make many friends because of everything I had experienced in high school. My siblings became the people I trusted the most.
“Eventually, I finished medical school with excellent grades.
“And today, I am a doctor and a young professor.
“I stand here because I refused to give up.
“So, to every girl sitting here today, I want you to remember something.
“Your circumstances do not have to determine your future.
“You may face rejection.
“You may lose people you love.
“People may laugh at you.
“You may fail.
“You may feel like giving up.
“But don't.
“Keep striving.
“Keep learning.
“Keep putting in the effort.
“If I had stopped because of everything I went through, I wouldn't be standing here today.
“Don't give up, girls.
“Keep pushing.”
For a moment, the hall was completely silent.
Then the entire room erupted into applause.
Emilia smiled as the girls stood and cheered.
She was happy.
For once, she felt like her painful past had become something useful something that could encourage someone else not to give up.
After her speech, several girls gathered around her, eager to ask questions about her life.
The first speaker raised her microphone.
“How does it feel to be where you are today?”
Emilia smiled.
“I'm very grateful, and I'm proud of how far I've come.”
The second speaker asked, “Do you think your high school classmates could still catch up with you or challenge you today?”
Emilia smiled.
“I don't think so.”
The audience laughed.
The third speaker looked at her curiously.
“Are you still single?”
Emilia paused.
For a few seconds, she didn't know what to say.
“Yes.”
She gave a small smile and didn't answer any more questions about her relationship status.
After wishing everyone the best, Emilia took pictures with some of the girls before finally leaving the venue.
But once she entered her car, her smile disappeared.
She couldn't stop thinking about that question.
For years, she had been perfectly comfortable being single.
So why did that question suddenly bother her?
Her driver, Benson, noticed her silence.
“Miss Anderson?”
Emilia looked up, almost as if she had been lost in her thoughts.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, Benson.”
She looked out through the window.
“Can you go a little faster?”
She just wanted to get home.
She needed some time alone.
When she finally arrived, she stepped out of the car and walked toward the house.
But the moment she entered, she stopped.
Her father was sitting there, waiting for her.
He looked unusually serious.
Emilia's heart skipped.
Something was wrong.
She slowly walked toward him.
“Dad?”
He looked at her.
“Emilia, we need to talk.”
Her stomach tightened.
She immediately began to panic.
“What happened?”
