Chapter 3 The Woman He Could Not Touch

The emergency room doors closed behind Yvonne, cutting off the outside world in an instant.

Inside, everything moved fast and precise.

Monitors beeped in steady rhythms. Nurses spoke in quick, practiced tones. The sharp scent of disinfectant filled the air.

"Female, forty five years old. Sudden chest pain. Blood pressure unstable," a nurse reported.

Yvonne stepped forward without hesitation and pulled on her gloves.

"Start oxygen. Prepare the ECG. Get me her vitals again."

Her voice was calm and controlled, leaving no room for panic.

This was her world.

The chaos did not overwhelm her. It sharpened her.

The patient was pale, her breathing uneven, her hand clutching her chest. Yvonne moved to her side and began the examination, her movements quick but steady.

"Stay with me," she said. "You are going to be fine."

Minutes passed in focused intensity. Instructions were given, carried out, adjusted. The team worked in rhythm around her.

Ten minutes later, the situation stabilized.

The patient's breathing evened out. Her pulse steadied.

The immediate danger had passed.

"Good work, Doctor Carter," a nurse said with visible relief.

Yvonne gave a small nod and stepped back.

Only then did she notice the faint dampness on her back. The pressure had been real, but she had not allowed it to show.

She removed her gloves and walked out of the emergency room.

The corridor outside felt quieter.

And then she saw him.

Adrian Blake was still there.

He stood near the wall, tall and composed, but his eyes were fixed entirely on her.

As if nothing else existed.

Yvonne paused for a brief second before continuing forward.

They stopped a short distance apart.

Close enough to speak.

Far enough to feel like strangers.

"You work here," Adrian said.

"Yes."

His gaze lingered on her, searching for something familiar and failing to find it.

"When did this happen?"

Yvonne met his eyes calmly.

"That is not something I need to explain to my ex husband."

The words landed harder than she intended, but she did not take them back.

Adrian's expression tightened.

"I did not know," he said. "You never told me."

A faint smile touched her lips, but there was no warmth in it.

"I did not know I needed permission to exist."

A nurse passed by, glancing at them with curiosity.

Yvonne stepped slightly aside, maintaining distance.

"If you have no medical reason to be here, you should leave," she said. "This is a hospital."

He did not move.

Instead, he asked, "Who was the patient?"

"A stranger," she replied. "Like us now."

The simplicity of her answer made his jaw tighten.

Before he could respond, a soft voice interrupted.

"Adrian."

Sophia approached them slowly, one hand resting lightly against her chest. Her expression was pale, her movements delicate.

"I feel a little dizzy," she said quietly.

Adrian's attention shifted immediately.

"Sit down," he said, supporting her arm with care.

The concern in his voice was clear. Natural.

Effortless.

Yvonne watched for a moment.

It was a kind of attention she had never received from him.

Adrian turned back to her.

"Check her," he said.

Yvonne held his gaze for a second.

"I am not her attending doctor," she replied. "Please register at the front desk."

Sophia looked at her more closely.

Recognition flickered across her face.

"So it is you," she said softly. "Adrian's wife."

"Ex wife," Yvonne corrected.

Sophia hesitated, then lowered her gaze slightly.

"I am sorry. I did not mean to cause any trouble."

"You did not," Yvonne said.

Another doctor approached from the side.

"Doctor Carter, Director Lin is asking for you."

"I will be there."

Yvonne turned and walked away without another glance.

Behind her, Adrian stood still, watching her leave.

Again.

The same way she had walked away from him outside the civil office.

But this time, the feeling in his chest was sharper. It lingered longer.

And it did not feel like relief.

That night, Adrian did not sleep.

He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, but his mind refused to settle.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her again.

In a white coat.

Focused. Calm. Distant.

Untouchable.

It was nothing like the woman he remembered.

The Yvonne he knew had always waited quietly. She spoke softly, moved carefully, and looked at him with a kind of patience he had taken for granted.

But the woman in the hospital had not looked at him like that.

She had not looked at him at all.

He sat up and rubbed his forehead, irritation building in his chest.

"This is just temporary," he said under his breath. "She is pretending to be strong."

That had to be it.

She had always been good at enduring things silently.

This was just another form of it.

The next day, news began to spread quietly among certain circles.

Doctor Yvonne Carter had returned.

Not only returned, but taken a leadership position at Bright Star Private Hospital.

Head of the emergency department.

Some people remembered her name from years ago.

Others were hearing it for the first time.

But one thing became clear very quickly.

She was no longer just Adrian Blake's former wife.

At the hospital, Yvonne's schedule filled immediately.

Meetings. Emergency cases. Department planning.

Her days became tightly structured, leaving little space for anything else.

And she did not mind.

For the first time in years, she felt in control of her life.

During a short lunch break, Auntie Lin sat across from her.

"You saw Adrian yesterday," she said.

"Yes."

"And how did it go?"

"There was nothing to talk about," Yvonne replied.

Auntie Lin studied her expression carefully.

"You sound calm."

"I am."

A faint smile appeared on the older woman's face.

"Good. That means you are finally free."

Yvonne lowered her gaze slightly but said nothing.

Free.

The word felt unfamiliar, but not unpleasant.

That afternoon, a black luxury car stopped outside the hospital.

Adrian stepped out.

This time, he came alone.

He walked straight into the emergency department without hesitation.

The nurse at the desk looked up.

"Sir, do you have an appointment?"

"I am here to see Doctor Carter."

"She is currently in surgery."

"I will wait."

He sat down on a nearby bench.

Time passed slowly.

People came and went. Patients were wheeled in and out. Staff moved around him without pause.

One hour passed.

Then two.

Finally, the surgery room doors opened.

Yvonne walked out, removing her mask as she stepped into the corridor.

Her eyes met his.

There was no surprise in her expression.

"You are here again," she said.

"Yes."

"For Sophia?"

"No."

That answer made her pause.

"Then why are you here?"

"I came to see you."

Yvonne looked at him quietly for a moment before walking to the sink to wash her hands.

"Is that necessary?" she asked.

"Yes."

She dried her hands slowly before turning to face him.

"What do you want to say?"

Adrian stepped closer, his expression more serious than before.

"Why did you never tell me you were a doctor?"

Yvonne met his gaze without hesitation.

"Why did you never ask?"

He frowned.

"You never talked about it."

"You never listened," she replied.

The silence that followed was heavier this time.

"I thought you were just a housewife," he said. "I thought you needed me."

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"That was your mistake."

His chest tightened.

"I gave up my career for that marriage," she continued. "Not because you asked me to. Because I chose to."

He looked at her, something unreadable passing through his eyes.

"I regret it," he said.

The word lingered between them.

Yvonne's heartbeat shifted for a moment, but her expression remained calm.

"You regret divorcing me?"

He hesitated.

"I regret not knowing you."

A soft laugh escaped her.

"That is worse."

He took another step closer.

"Can we talk somewhere else?"

"There is nothing to talk about."

"Yvonne."

"Doctor Carter," she corrected.

The distance between them widened again.

She turned to leave.

His hand reached out instinctively and caught her wrist.

The contact froze them both.

For a brief second, neither moved.

Yvonne slowly pulled her hand back.

"Do not touch me," she said quietly.

There was no anger in her voice.

Just a clear boundary.

People nearby had already started to look in their direction.

Adrian lowered his hand.

"I am sorry."

She gave a small nod.

"Goodbye, Mr Blake."

That night, Adrian stood alone on the balcony of the villa.

The city lights stretched endlessly in front of him.

Behind him, the house was silent.

He walked back inside and stopped at the dining table.

After a moment, he went to the kitchen and made himself a cup of instant soup.

He took one sip and frowned.

It tasted flat. Empty.

Nothing like what she used to make.

For the first time, he realized something he had never considered before.

She had not just left the marriage.

She had taken something with her.

Something he had never valued until it was gone.

At the hospital, Yvonne finished her shift late.

As she walked out into the night, her phone vibrated.

An unknown number.

She answered.

"Hello?"

"Doctor Carter," a man's voice said. "This is James Moore from Zenith Medical Group. We would like to invite you to join an international medical project."

Yvonne stopped walking.

Zenith Medical Group.

The top medical organization in the country.

"You are inviting me?" she asked.

"Yes. We have been observing your work for some time."

Her grip on the phone tightened slightly.

"When would you like to meet?"

"Tomorrow, if possible."

Yvonne looked up at the night sky, her expression thoughtful.

"Tomorrow is fine."

After the call ended, she stood still for a moment.

A new door had just opened.

And she had no intention of looking back.

She did not know it yet.

But when Adrian learned where she was going next, he would finally understand one thing clearly.

Letting her go was not the end.

It was the beginning of everything he was about to lose.