Chapter 1 Are You Married

"Remove your trousers and lie down on the bed!" a man's voice said, low and cold, leaving no room for argument.

At the sound of it, Melinda Palmer felt her pulse stumble inside her chest.

For reasons she could not pinpoint, this humiliating illness had crept into her life without warning.

Each time it resurfaced, an overpowering craving seized control of her body, and it did not care about time or place. Because of that relentless surge, her job performance had begun to suffer, and even her daily routine had turned chaotic.

After weeks of battling both fatigue and despair, she forced herself to schedule a consultation at the exclusive hospital. Although the consultation fee was several times higher than that of an ordinary hospital, the promise of absolute privacy persuaded her to come.

To make matters worse, she had deliberately chosen a middle-aged female gynecologist when she booked the visit. Instead, a tall and strikingly young male physician now stood before her.

"Must I really remove them?" she asked carefully, her voice trembling.

Embarrassment flooded through her at the mere idea of undressing before a man she had never met. Even if he carried the title of doctor, the thought still unsettled her deeply.

Maintaining a firm and professional tone, Lorenzo Harvey addressed her concern, saying, "Tell me how I am expected to conduct an examination if you remain dressed?"

"I just..." Heat rushed across Melinda's face, and she shifted uneasily as the words refused to come.

Although a medical mask concealed the lower half of his face, his piercing gaze held a depth that was difficult to read.

Without warning, a reckless image flashed across Melinda's mind, and she imagined him forcing her onto the bed and claiming control over her body.

Horror swept through her as she briskly shook her head, trying to drive away the disgraceful fantasy that had surfaced so suddenly.

To steady herself, she repeated over and over that he was nothing more than a physician, and he likely examined countless women each day as part of his routine responsibilities.

With that reminder anchoring her thoughts, she fought down her humiliation and slowly slid her trousers past her knees before easing herself onto the examination table.

"Tell me what seems to be troubling you," Lorenzo said in an even tone as he reached for the disinfectant to prepare the instruments.

Color crept up her neck while Melinda struggled to form the words. "It is... down there..."

Because she trailed off without clarifying, Lorenzo regarded her with quiet composure and continued, "Have you been engaging in frequent intercourse, or did something cause an injury?"

From his experience, most young women who scheduled visits to the gynecology department came in for concerns along those lines.

Instead of confirming his assumption, Melinda quickly shook her head while her blush deepened. "No. I have never been involved in any sexual activity."

At that unexpected admission, Lorenzo stilled and shifted his gaze toward her with visible surprise.

An arresting kind of beauty caught his attention, and he took in her refined features and flawless skin with quiet astonishment. Beneath her sweetness lingered a subtle charm that blended innocence with a hint of temptation.

Anyone who encountered her even once would likely carry the memory of her striking appearance for a long time.

Given how captivating she was, he found it difficult to reconcile her claim that she had never experienced intimacy.

Under the weight of his steady gaze, Melinda faltered and lowered her eyes. "It is just that... something does not feel right in that area," she said, and her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red.

A faint tension traveled through Lorenzo's hand as his grip on the disinfectant swab grew firmer.

Outwardly, however, he remained composed, and his expression revealed nothing while he continued to study her face. "When you say something is not right, what exactly do you mean?"

Words seemed to abandon her at that moment, and Melinda sat there quietly because she had no idea how to explain something so mortifying.

"It's only that..." Struggling to continue, she pressed her lips together and tried again.

The intensity of her blush did not escape Lorenzo, and he swallowed as an unexpected flicker of desire stirred within his chest.

Professional discipline quickly took over, and he forced that impulse down before asking evenly, "Have you figured out what might be causing it?"

Embarrassment tangled Melinda's thoughts, and she could barely manage a coherent response. "It is just... I mean..."

No matter how hard she tried, the confession refused to leave her lips, and she simply could not admit that the hunger inside her had become almost unbearable and that she craved relief with desperate intensity.

Although she had been Kevan Palmer's wife for more than a year, not once had he reached for her or treated her like a husband should.

As the ache within her deepened, Kevan began to keep his distance, and he even looked uneasy at times, as though he feared she might demand what he was unwilling to give.

With no comfort coming from her marriage, she eventually turned to herself for release because there was no other option left to her.

Despite those private attempts, satisfaction always slipped through her fingers.

What she longed for now went beyond fleeting relief.

What she truly needed felt far greater than she dared to admit.

Carefully studying the shift in her expression, Lorenzo broke the silence. "Are you married?"

A reflexive nod was the only answer Melinda managed to give.

Unexpectedly, a faint trace of disappointment stirred within Lorenzo at her response.

A shadow passed over his features before he spoke again. "Lie back properly. I am going to begin the examination."

Without arguing, Melinda adjusted herself on the table and curled her slender fingers tightly into her palms.

Heat climbed steadily up her neck and settled across her cheeks, and she could not shake the burning sense of humiliation that overwhelmed her.

In a tone that had dropped into something rougher and far more commanding, Lorenzo fixed his gaze on her. "Do not move."

Silence was the only response Melinda could manage.

Embarrassment weighed heavily on her chest, and given the nature of her condition, remaining composed while he examined her felt almost impossible.

After a brief struggle with herself, she forced the words out. "Would it be possible to have a female doctor instead?"

At her request, a shadow deepened in Lorenzo's eyes. "Do you find me unsuitable?"

Panic flickered across her face, and Melinda quickly shook her head. "No, that is not what I meant."

Before she could gather the rest of her explanation, he said coldly, "You selected my schedule when you made the appointment. If you are unwilling to proceed, then you are free to walk out."

The sharpness in his voice stunned Melinda, and she had not expected him to speak so harshly.

A spark of indignation rose within her, and she silently vowed to submit a formal complaint about his attitude once this was over.

Despite that resolve, urgency pressed against her far more strongly than pride because her condition had already disrupted her life enough.

In the end, practicality won over anger, and she decided to place her trust in his professional ability, even if she disliked his manner.

"I did not mean to offend you. I only want to recover. Could you please help me?" Her voice carried a note of sincere pleading.

As it happened, this was Lorenzo's first day stepping in as a temporary replacement, and crossing paths with someone like her had not been part of his expectations.

Among all the cases he had studied, none resembled hers, and the fact that she was strikingly beautiful made the situation even more complicated.

For him, the moment felt less like a routine consultation and more like a quiet trial of restraint.

"Enough!" The word left him sharply, and he had to steady his breathing before continuing.

With deliberate movements, he slipped on a pair of gloves, took up a disinfectant-soaked swab, and approached her at an unhurried pace.

Unable to bear the intensity of the moment, Melinda pressed her eyelids tightly together as heat rushed to her face.

Not even Kevan had ever looked at such a private part of her body, yet now she had agreed to let a different man conduct the examination.

Although reason reminded her that he was a medical professional, the unease within her refused to fade.

A sudden sting escaped her lips before she could contain it.

At that small cry, tension shot through him, and he instinctively withdrew his hand a fraction. "Did that cause you pain?"

Moisture gathered along Melinda's lashes, and her eyes glimmered faintly.

Speech failed her when she tried to respond, and the words simply would not come.

Although she kept urging herself to remain steady, her condition betrayed her, and a wave of unwelcome longing rose within her without permission.

To Lorenzo, the sight of her fragile expression stirred something dangerously compelling.

Clearing his throat, he said to her, "I will be more careful."

He deliberately averted his gaze so he could concentrate on completing the examination.

Once everything was finished, a strange hollowness settled inside her, and the discomfort seemed heavier than before.

"Is it something serious?" she finally asked, uncertainty threading through her tone.

Methodically taking off his gloves, Lorenzo took a quiet moment to compose himself before answering, "What you are experiencing is a form of hysteria linked to hormonal imbalance, and it is connected to prolonged sexual deprivation."

At his explanation, Melinda's lashes lowered, and a fleeting shadow of shame crossed her delicate features.

In truth, it went beyond mere deprivation, because she had never experienced intimacy at all.

Due to an excessive fear of germs, her husband had always been excessively particular about cleanliness, and throughout their courtship and even after marriage, physical closeness had been rare.

Ironically, the more distant he became, the stronger her yearning grew, as though every part of her body had been left aching for the warmth of human touch.

"I am going to write you a prescription to stabilize your hormones," Lorenzo said as he settled in front of the computer and began typing. "However, I must advise that maintaining a regular marital relationship would greatly ease your symptoms."

Crimson had already claimed Melinda's cheeks, and his words only deepened the color.

With hurried movements, she adjusted her clothing, stepped down from the examination table, and accepted the slip of paper he extended toward her. "Thank you, Doctor."

Moments after Melinda slipped out of the consultation room, the rear door swung open, and a woman in a white coat strode inside.

"Lorenzo, what exactly are you doing seeing my patient while I am not here?" Milly Harvey asked, clearly displeased as she confronted her younger brother.

Leaning back with infuriating ease, Lorenzo answered without the slightest rush, "You seem to forget that I graduated at the top of our class, while you placed second. In addition, I covered your appointments without charging a single fee. And since this hospital is under my ownership now, I would say I have every right to step in."

"Hey, you cannot just brush this off!" Milly shot him a sharp look, and irritation flashed across her face because of his stubborn attitude.

As her annoyance lingered, a flicker of confusion crept in, since he had always kept his distance from women and rarely involved himself with female patients, yet today he had personally handled one.

With casual indifference, Lorenzo slid a hand into his pocket and turned toward the corridor where Melinda had disappeared. "If my presence bothers you, then I will leave."

Before he could take another step, she hurried after him. "Hold on! I specifically asked you to come so I could introduce you to our newly appointed cardiologist, Dr. Carlee Elliott. She is exceptionally talented, remarkably attractive, and easily one of the brightest young doctors here. On top of that, she happens to be single."

Without pausing, Lorenzo responded in a flat tone that carried no interest, "We can arrange that some other time."

With that brief dismissal, he continued down the hallway and left her standing there.