The Delivery Room Encounter

On my first night shift at the new hospital, I saw my newlywed husband, Nathan Lloyd. He was supposed to be on a business trip. He was kneeling at the operating room entrance while a pregnant woman in labor was lying on the emergency bed beside him, experiencing heavy bleeding. Nathan gripped my hand, his pleading cries echoing in my ears, "Doctor, I beg you to save her!" Chapter 1 The nurse nearby handed Nathan Lloyd the surgical consent form. "We need a family member to sign the papers before the operation. What's your relationship with the woman in labor?" Nathan took the pen and signed with trembling hands. "She's my wife." A lump formed in my throat when I heard it. The image that flashed through my mind was of Nathan smiling and handing me our marriage certificate a month ago. "Jaime Sterling, we're a legally married couple from today on." As if sensing my stunned expression, Nathan looked up in confusion with his red eyes. I quickly lowered my head and adjusted the mask over the bridge of my nose to conceal my emotions. Turning around, I pushed open the doors to the operating room. "We'll do everything we can for the patient." I guessed our relationship was completely over. After a round of rescue, the mother's condition was relatively stable, and the atmosphere in the operating room became more relaxed. My colleague beside me whispered to me, "I heard these two got into this mess because they got a little too carried away in bed. The mother is near her due date, yet her husband doesn't seem to be able to control himself. Young people nowadays are really reckless when it comes to romance..." My hand movements slowed down for a few seconds. The image of Nathan begging at the operating room door just now gradually merged with the Nathan who had gotten down on one knee to propose to me. "Jaime, marry me. I will never touch another woman but you!" On our wedding night, he carefully helped me put back on each piece of clothing I had taken off, his expression filled with pain and struggle. "I'm sorry, Jaime. I swore at my mother's grave to observe three years of mourning for her. This is the third year. Wait for me a little longer." I believed him. What I got in return was fighting to save his unborn child. I gave a mocking smile. It turned out that not touching me was not about observing propriety; it was simply because he did not love me. The operation concluded quickly and successfully. I held the newborn in my arms. She was not heavy, but her weight pressed against my chest. When I opened the operating room door, Nathan immediately stood up and rushed over. His bloodshot eyes were filled with barely suppressed worry and anxiety. "How's Viola?" Viola Harland was the name of the woman in labor on the medical record. Nathan had introduced her as his wife. She was a stranger to me. He had never mentioned her to me before. I handed the baby to him and said, "Congratulations, the surgery went smoothly. Both mother and daughter are safe." Nathan's tense expression visibly relaxed, and his gaze toward me was filled with unfamiliar gratitude. "Thank you, doctor. May I ask your name?" With my cap and mask covering most of my face, Nathan failed to recognize me. I stared into his eyes, trying to detect a hint of guilt. "My last name is Sterling. Just call me Dr. Sterling." Nathan frowned and was about to say something more when Viola was wheeled out on a stretcher from behind me. "Nathan..." She lay on the bed, looking unusually weak. He immediately pushed me aside and rushed to her. He held the baby in one arm and Viola's hand in the other, his tone gentler than I had ever heard before. Chapter 2 "Viola, stop talking. You need rest. I've postponed all my work at the company. I'll stay by your side at all times during this period." What a happy family! It was so heartwarming that it hurt my eyes. I clenched my hands tightly until my fingertips turned white. I was barely keeping my composure. Viola had just undergone surgery, and I was just transferred to a tertiary hospital. This was not the right time or place to bring the truth out into the open. As soon as I returned to the duty room, my phone in my pocket started vibrating. I slid to answer it, and Nathan's voice came through. "Jaime, there's an emergency at the company. I might not be able to come back for a while." I was filled with rage and questions, but the devastation I felt mentally and physically drained me of any desire to speak. The silence made Nathan misunderstand. He thought that I was throwing a tantrum, so he continued, "Be good. When I'm done here, I will make time for our honeymoon..." "Nathan..." Before he could finish speaking, Viola called for him, and the baby began crying too. "That's all for now!" Nathan scrambled to hang up. Today was so eventful. A profound sense of absurdity made my stomach churn, and I vomited violently in the washroom. While my mind was in a daze, I made a phone call. "Send me the marriage certificate from the study cabinet. And remember to tell my dad that Nathan cheated on me. I want him to withdraw all funding to Nathan from now on." According to my schedule, I was in charge of the next ward rounds. I forced myself to pick up the record sheet. Standing in the doorway through the glass, I saw Nathan and Viola squeezed onto a small single bed. He held Viola in his arms, gently patting her back with one hand. He had dark circles beneath his eyes from staying up all night. Even though I had completely given up on him, seeing this still brought a pang of bitterness to my heart. Nathan immediately opened his eyes when he heard the knock on the door. I put on my mask and pushed the door open. Although it was a hospital ward, it was decorated warmly. The table was overflowing with maternity and baby supplies. Big or small, every necessity had been thoughtfully prepared. Every single item was something I had wholeheartedly recommended. The night before leaving on his 'business trip', Nathan had suddenly shaken me awake. "Jaime, you're an obstetrician. Could you tell me what I need to prepare for childbirth?" I squinted, a little confused. "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?" Nathan stammered, saying his colleague was about to deliver a baby and had put in a favor to get him to ask me. Having just finished a 36-hour shift, I was so tired that I was practically delirious. However, Nathan sat up, turned on all the lights in the house, and dragged me out of bed. "Jaime, write it all down quickly." He forcefully shoved a pen into my hand and pinched the softest part of my inner arm. The overwhelming pain instantly woke me up, and I worked on that list until it was broad daylight. Before leaving, Nathan carefully tucked it into a hidden pocket in his clothes, turning away without even a thank you. Back in the present moment, I suppressed my emotions and went to the bedside, where I began asking the routine questions. "How are you feeling today?" Viola held Nathan's hand, her voice soft. Chapter 3 "It's much better now. Yesterday was so dangerous. Good thing we have you, Dr. Sterling. I haven't had a chance to thank you yet. As soon as I woke up, I ordered a gift hamper. I hope you'll accept it." I laughed, but my gaze fell on their intertwined hands. Nathan was wearing a strangely shaped ring just like Viola's. Noticing my gaze, Viola turned the ring and explained, her tone filled with happiness, "My husband designed this himself. There's only one pair in the whole world. It's a little ugly, but I like it." I quickly lowered my gaze, hiding the surging emotions in my eyes. The day after our wedding, Nathan took off the wedding ring that I had specially commissioned from a master craftsman. I watched as he sealed it in a box and placed it in the deepest part of the drawer, never to be seen again. "Why not wear it?" He frowned and shook his head. "It's too precious. It would be such a pity if I lost it." I remained silent and took off my own ring, casually tossing it onto the bedside table. At home, Nathan's ring finger had always been empty. Now, a ring was tightly wrapped around it. The baby slept peacefully in the cradle beside me, her features bearing a clear resemblance to Nathan. As she turned over, an emerald pendant slipped from her neck. The emerald was lustrous, its value instantly apparent. It was the same emerald that had been our wedding gift—a lucky token meant to bless our marriage. It had since been made into a simple emerald pendant worn by Nathan's daughter. My heart felt empty, devoid of any feeling. Something had been completely ripped out of me. Viola's sweet voice rang behind me. "Honey, I'm a little hungry. Go buy me some breakfast." Nathan hesitated, standing there for a long time. "I'm worried about you being here alone." Viola waved her hand and looked at me. "Don't worry. Dr. Sterling is here. Everything will be fine." Reassured by my confirmation, Nathan turned and left. The door opened and closed, and the ward fell silent for a moment. I could not help but feel a pang of emotion and spoke with a hint of sarcasm. "Ms. Harland, you and Mr. Lloyd are really sweet." Draped in Nathan's coat, Viola propped herself up and sat up in bed. "Nathan and I both come from small towns. Out in this big world, it's only natural to understand and support each other. Fortunately, Nathan is hardworking and has built his own career through hard work. If it weren't for his investor being difficult, he would probably be a rising star in the industry by now." Hearing that, I raised an eyebrow, a surge of anger rising within me. From company registration to fundraising, my father had guided Nathan through every step of the way. My father was also his biggest investor. Initially, Nathan refused a job at Sterling Group, saying he wanted to provide me with a comfortable life through his own hard work. However, he had little talent for business. The company had been consistently losing money for the past two years. It was my father who had been secretly covering for him for my sake. However, he called my father the most difficult investor. What an ingrate! There was a knock at the door, and the person who entered held a gift hamper. Viola had somehow gotten out of bed and was sitting in the wheelchair that had been placed at the side beforehand. Chapter 4 A smile remained on Viola's lips. "Dr. Sterling, take it." The gift hamper was handed over to me. The person's hand trembled, and a card fell. When I read the words on it, my face instantly turned pale. [How shameless to knowingly become a homewrecker.] Like multiple slaps in the face, those words made my face turn bright red. I trembled all over as I asked coldly, "Ms. Harland, what's the meaning of this?" Viola's attitude completely changed as she looked me up and down. "Nathan isn't here. Cut the act. I noticed yesterday when I came out of the operating room, how your eyes were practically glued to Nathan. We're both women. Don't think I don't know about those shameful ideas in your mind." She deliberately covered her mouth and gagged, her gaze toward me filled with disgust and judgment. "Angel in white? You're always thinking about hooking up with your patients' husbands! How disgusting." I slapped the gift hamper onto the ground and instinctively wanted to refute Viola, but the thought of the fake marriage certificate made the words get stuck in my throat. Seeing that I was silent, Viola's arrogance flared. "Did I hit the nail on the head? You deliberately choose to work in the obstetrics department just to take advantage of others' vulnerabilities." She gestured with her chin toward the man delivering the gift hamper. "You, take her out into the hallway." I looked at him warily, took a few steps back, and shouted sharply, "Don't touch me!" However, a cup quickly hit me on the head, and a warm stream trickled down my forehead. When I came to my senses, the hallway was already packed with onlookers. Viola wheeled herself out of the ward, shouting, "Everyone, look! This obstetrician is taking advantage of mothers who are still weak postpartum to seduce their husbands! From the moment she first saw my husband yesterday, her gaze hasn't left him!" She ordered the man holding me to rip off my mask and grab my hair to show my face. A flash of jealousy crossed Viola's eyes after she saw my face clearly. "She really does have a vixen's face. She was born to seduce men!" She came up to me and slapped me. A burning pain shot through my face. Viola had deliberately turned the jagged side of the ring on her finger. A wound slashed across my face. A nurse anxiously dashed toward the chief physician's office. I tried desperately to break free of the hands that were gripping me, but my bleeding wounds quickly drained my strength. Nathan returned with breakfast and immediately panicked when he saw the crowd. "Excuse me. Excuse me!" He struggled to push his way through the crowd and rushed to Viola, thoroughly checking her over. "Viola, are you alright? Why are there so many people here?" Viola grabbed his hand, her face beaming with pride. "Nathan, you're back just in time. I just exposed Dr. Sterling's true colors in front of everyone! She's been deliberately hanging around you all day, trying to get your attention!" Nathan affectionately pinched her nose. "You're always so jealous. How could I possibly have feelings for anyone else but you? But let me see what Dr. Sterling looks like. How dare she target you?"