Chapter 2
It wasn’t Antonio on the line.
It was Anna.
Her voice hit me like a shock, making the anesthesia in my body feel totally useless.
I could feel my chest heaving. The pain was so bad.
Anna said, “Antonio, you owe me one. If I hadn’t stopped you from turning off your work phone, you’d have missed the hospital’s call.
“Come on. Someone from your hospital needs you.”
Antonio replied sweetly, “Yes, you’re the best, the smartest.”
As soon as Antonio got on the phone, he got serious. “I’ve seen the details you sent about the pregnant woman. With her rare blood type and
pregnancy–related high blood pressure, this is a tough situation. You have to reach her family quickly and get them ready.”
“Dr. Kaufman, we can’t reach her family. His phone is off,” the nurse said.
Antonio sounded pissed. “The guy can’t even answer his phone when his wife is giving birth? What a jerk.”
“Dr. Kaufman, can you come over?” the nurse asked again.
Anna sounded sulky on the other end. “Go ahead. I guess I’ll just celebrate my birthday by myself.”
“No way, I’m not leaving,” Antonio soothed her.
Chapter 2
Then he said. “I’m sorry. I can’t make it. I’m about to catch a flight and I’ll be gone for a couple of days. Let me find someone else to help you.”
Then he quickly ended the call.
o
It seemed that he was scared someone would ask him to come again.
I just found out he had a work number, and I had never even seen his other phone.
The nurse, who was keeping a close eye on me, whispered in a confused voice. “When Dr. Kaufman spoke just now, I thought he was the patient’s husband. His voice sounded exactly the same.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. His wife is right there. You heard her too,” another nurse said.
Just then, the blood from other hospitals arrived.
Along with the blood plasma came a doctor.
I heard a group of people addressing him respectfully and then he told the anesthesiologist to check my anesthesia, increasing the dose.
I spent the long rescue in a daze of sleep.
When I woke up, there was an intern nurse sitting by my bed, recording
data.
Seeing me open my eyes, she immediately called in a few doctors and
nurses.
“Is there anything bothering you?”
I shook my head.
The lead doctor looked at my wounds and vitals. Then he said to me, “Grace, how many years has it been since you graduated? Have you
forgotten everything you learned?”
I lifted my head and took a closer look at his face.
It was actually Kyler Warner, who led our lab sessions back in grad school.
It had been so long. He seemed even more serious.
After examining me for a while, he said, “Your husband just messaged you. Do you need me to open it for you?”
I nodded with effort.
He unlocked my phone with my face and a message popped up right
away
It was my account spending record.
It was a whopping 3,000 dollars spent on a honeymoon package at the Seaside Hotel.
There was also a message from Antonio: “I’m on a business trip. I will be back in a week. Sorry, honey. I’m just too hectic.”
But right after he sent that, a message from Anna came through: “Grace, this sea–view room is amazing. I have to share it with you.”
The picture showed her and Antonio lying in a bathtub, looking out at the sea, with hickeys visible on their skin.
Anna texted: “Grace, don’t you think it’s lovely too? Antonio said he’ll bring you here on your anniversary, same room, and same bed.”
