Chapter 3

Ronda had a long dream.

In the dream, a blood-red sea spread out before her, and a baby floated on the surface. It reached out with its hands and cried for its mother.

She desperately swam towards it and wanted to grasp its hand. But just as her fingers were about to touch it, Greg's cold face suddenly appeared. He held a scalpel and ruthlessly severed the connection between her and the baby.

"Ah!" Ronda woke up screaming, drenched in cold sweat.

"Dr. Lambert, you're awake?" A young nurse stood by her bed. Her eyes were red as she changed the IV bottle for Ronda.

Seeing Ronda awake, the nurse quickly turned away to wipe her tears. She said in a choked voice, "Please try not to move. You're still very weak after the dilation and curettage procedure."

The dilation and curettage procedure.

Ronda blankly reached for her abdomen. It was as flat as ever. But she didn't feel connected to her baby anymore.

"The baby... is gone?" Ronda's voice was as light as a breeze. It seemed to dissipate at any moment.

The nurse couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears. "Dr. Lambert, you were brought in too late... If it had been just half an hour earlier, even ten minutes earlier, the baby could have been saved. But... but...

What happened?

But her husband, the baby's father, thought she was lying and acting when her life was on the line. He shook off her hand for help and even used research funds to threaten her into apologizing to the very woman who caused this.

Besides, he had even pushed her hard against the headboard.

Ronda did not cry.

She had given up on him.

She simply stared quietly at the ceiling. The light in her eyes slowly faded away. They became lifeless in the end.

"What about my hand?" Ronda asked her second question.

The nurse's sobbing paused, and her eyes were evasive. She dared not speak.

"Tell me the truth." Ronda's voice was surprisingly calm.

The nurse bit her lip and said in a trembling voice, "The orthopedic chief just came by. He says... that your right arm's ulnar nerve is completely severed. The tendons are severely damaged. The crush fractures from the secondary compression... Even if it recovers, you... won't be able to perform surgery anymore."

It was as expected.

Ronda closed her eyes and couldn't utter a single word.

She would no longer be able to hold a scalpel.

She was the youngest neurosurgery expert in the country. Her hands had saved countless lives. They were her pride and the only dignity she had in her cold marriage.

Now, her hand was destroyed

by Greg, who claimed it was "just a minor injury."

"Leave me alone. I want to be quiet," Ronda said softly.

The nurse gave Ronda a worried glance and reluctantly walked out of the room.

The ward fell into a deathly silence again.

Ronda lay on the bed as a puppet without its soul.

She didn't know how much time had passed when the door opened again.

This time, it wasn't Greg, but Rose, wearing a pink hospital gown. She looked very well.

She carried a bouquet of vibrant lilies and walked gracefully. She showed no sign of an asthma flare-up.

"Ronda, I heard you had undergone surgery? Oh dear, poor woman." Rose approached the bed and looked down at Ronda with a fake smile like a victor. "Greg is very busy looking for a psychologist abroad for me, so he couldn't come to see you. I thought I'd come on his behalf to check on you."

She casually tossed the lilies onto the bedside table. The pollen sprinkled down and landed right on Ronda's pillow.

Ronda was allergic to pollen. Greg knew it, and all the staff members of the hospital knew it.

But Rose didn't seem to know it.

"Take your trash and leave." Ronda didn't even bother to lift her eyelids.

"Ronda, don't be so angry." Rose pulled up a chair and sat closer to Ronda. She lowered her voice with a venomous boast. "You know what? Greg just promised me that once I recover, I'll be joining the neurosurgery department and taking over your position. He says your hand is useless anyway. So you cannot hold a position for nothing. It will be a waste of resources. It's better to give me the opportunity, as I am more talented."

Ronda's eyes snapped open, and she glared at Rose intensely. "What did you say?"

"I said your position is now mine."