Chapter 2

Emma Carter POV

Everything changed three years ago at a national medical conference.

Adrian attended as a special guest. At the dinner that night, several respected veterans in the field took turns drinking with him. Adrian was usually restrained, but he drank far more than usual.

By the time the dinner ended, he was unsteady on his feet. As his assistant, I was responsible for getting him back to the hotel.

The hotel hallway was covered in thick carpet that swallowed the sound of our footsteps. I supported Adrian’s tall frame, most of his weight pressed against my shoulder. His hot breath brushed my neck, carrying the strong scent of alcohol and the cool cedar fragrance that belonged only to him.

“Mr. Black, we’re here. Your key card.” My voice trembled as I opened the door and tried to help him toward the bed.

The door clicked shut behind us.

Before I could react, Adrian turned around, seized my wrist, and shoved me hard against the cold wall. His rough breathing filled the darkness. He removed his gold-rimmed glasses, and the fire in his black eyes was so intense it seemed capable of burning me alive.

“Adrian…”

Startled, I called him by his name instead of the respectful “Mr. Black.”

That name seemed to flip a switch.

The next second, Adrian lowered his head and kissed me roughly.

That night was a reckless celebration—the bloody fruit of two years of unrequited love finally ripening. I didn’t push him away.

Or maybe I simply couldn’t bear to.

Like a devout believer, I sacrificed all my reason and restraint. Through pain and surrender, I held on to the man I had admired for countless nights.

I pulled myself out of the memory and looked at the trash bag, now stuffed full. A bitter, self-mocking smile touched my lips.

I zipped the suitcase shut.

Five years of youth. Five years of lowering myself.

In the end, all I could take away was a twenty-four-inch suitcase.

I stood and looked at the room one last time—the room that had held so many of my foolish nights.

Tomorrow, I would still be the capable Ms. Carter from the emergency department.

But in one month, I would disappear from Adrian Black’s world completely, as if I had never existed.

The memory of that night had been burning hot.

The reality of the next morning was ice-cold.

I would never forget that hotel morning three years ago. I woke with a splitting headache, my entire body aching as though I had been crushed beneath a machine. The pain reminded me of what we had done the night before.

Sunlight pierced through the gap in the curtains. I reached instinctively toward the other side of the bed and touched nothing but cold sheets.

My eyes flew open.

Adrian wasn’t in bed. He was already dressed, his shirt buttoned to the very top. He sat in a single chair beside the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a cup of cold black coffee. His eyes had returned to their usual detached calm as he stared at me.

There was no embrace. Not even a hint of awkwardness.

He looked at me as though I were an intern who had accidentally dirtied his operating table.

The silence became suffocating. I hurriedly pulled the blanket over my bare shoulders, my heart pounding against my ribs. Just as I struggled to figure out how to break the silence, Adrian spoke first.

“You like me.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.

My mind went blank. Heat rushed into my face. I instinctively tried to deny it.

“Mr. Black, I—”

“You don’t need to deny it.” Adrian cut me off. He set the coffee cup on the glass table with a sharp click. “You blush every time you see me in the hallway. You know all my habits, dietary restrictions, and preferences. You graduated at the top of your class and specifically requested a position at my newly established private hospital. Emma Carter, I’m not blind.”

He had seen everything, yet he had watched my unrequited love from a distance without ever intervening.

My breathing stopped.

Humiliation and a secret, fragile hope tangled inside me. If he knew, then what had last night meant? Could it mean he felt something for me too?

My fantasy had barely begun to take shape when Adrian cruelly shattered it.

He reached into the inner pocket of his suit and pulled out a black bank card. Holding it between two long fingers, he placed it on the table and pushed it toward me.

“I drank too much last night. It was an accident. I don’t mix my private life with my work, but since it happened, I’ll take responsibility.” His voice was as cold as ice. “But I won’t return your feelings. There’s someone I love. That will never change. The money on this card is enough to ensure you live comfortably for the rest of your life. Your parents can use it to live well, too.”

He stood and looked down at me as though delivering final medical instructions.

“Take the money and forget last night. At the hospital, you’ll still be an emergency nurse, and I’ll still be the hospital director. Beyond that, we have no relationship.”

I stared at the black card until my eyes burned.

I remembered how, at the height of his passion the night before, Adrian had buried his face in my neck and whispered a name over and over.

“Serena… Serena…”

Every repetition had felt like a dull knife slicing into my flesh.

Everyone who had worked at the hospital for years knew that name.

Serena White—the first love Adrian could never forget.

They had supposedly dated in college. Later, Serena had broken up with him and gone abroad to pursue a better future. Rumor had it that she had dated one man after another overseas, while Adrian refused to get involved with any other woman. He had worked obsessively to expand the hospital, all so that when she returned, he could offer her the best life possible.

I watched Adrian turn away.

Somewhere, I found the courage to throw off the blanket, place my bare feet on the cold carpet, and shout after him.

“I don’t want your money!”