At the Abrston Global Gynecology Hospital, several interns who were in their training period gathered together, spiritedly discussing this morning's edition of the 'Entertainment Weekly' paper, from time to time, they let out hysteric shrieks.

"Oh my god! My idol has already been claimed! And there's a chance he'll be engaged very soon!"

"So, it's actually true! Ah! Look here! Look here! Abrston's top real estate tycoon, Otto Ortega, was rumored to be back together with his first love, Lilia Pearce. Some media reporters caught them hand in hand at a commercial building..."

"..."

In the hospital corridors filled with the smell of disinfectants, elegant high heels clicked 'tap tap tap' upon the marble floor as Madeleine Erickson, dressed in her sleek, long white doctor’s coat, briskly walked towards the turn.

"Lilia is so beautiful too! She’s such a perfect match with Mr. Ortega – truly a beautiful match made in heaven!"

Another sigh there!

Before her denim-clad long legs could take two more steps, Madeleine came to a stop, her somber eyes gazing towards the noisy chatter source.

The continuous stream of praises and exclamations echoed in her ears, and the calm facade on Madeleine's face was getting difficult to maintain.

Pausing for two seconds, she took a deep breath in, a cynical smile surfaced at the corner of her lips, and she took off at a brisk pace.

The sounds of the high heels approaching in the distance alerted the nurses in a heated discussion, they shuffled around, someone signaled towards Madeleine's direction. The rest of them quickly hushed, deftly tidied up the newspaper and stood respectfully in line.

"Dr. Erickson…"

"Dr. Erickson, good morning…"

The nurses' greetings followed one after another as all eyes fell upon the approaching woman.

A highly proficient woman in medical research and one with few words, how could they not feel a sense of intimidation?

However, to their surprise, Madeleine seemed to have not heard their previous conversation. With a symbolic nod towards them, she casually put her hands into her white lab coat and hastily made her way towards the emergency office at the other end of the corridor...

"..."

Everyone gazed at her prideful figure disappearing into the distance, an inevitable sigh resounded around them.

Inside the office, Madeleine took off the cold stethoscope around her neck, then headed over to the sink to wash her hands. The ice-cold tap water flowed down her slender fingers, stimulating her senses, as traces of fragility finally emerged on her exquisite features.

Back together...

Otto wanted to get back together with Lilia.

Even though Madeleine was normally adept at concealing her feelings, upon hearing this news, her delicate body involuntarily shivered. A strange discomfort started to spread within her.

Even if she felt agonizing pain or disbelief, she still had to hide all her feelings, just as one would hide a secret.

Madeleine had been harboring a secret for a long time, a secret she held dear for ten whole years - that she was in love with Otto.

Her love for him ran so deep that she had been calculating secretly, yearning for a distracted glance from Otto, removed from Lilia. She had wondered endlessly about how to marry Otto and become the legal mistress of the Ortega family.

After several years of profound deliberation, she finally made up her mind to do that-

After that incident, the Ortega and Ortega families agreed to a secret marriage alliance and she got her wish, marrying Otto. Meanwhile, Lilia, whose emotions crashed at the time, chose to go abroad for further studies.

All she got in return for her meticulously schemed plan was a cold and distant five-year marriage.

Was it worth it?

Madeleine turned off the faucet, picking up the towel hanging on the rack to dry her hands. Only when everything was finished, she finally returned to her desk and sat down.

On the right side of Madeleine's desk sits a blue frame, stacked with several case files. She reaches for the top two, carefully reading them for a minute. The more she examines, the bitter smile plays upon her lips.

The case file bears the signature - Lilia, pregnancy test positive, indicating almost two months of pregnancy.

In Madeleine's mind, the words that Lilia said to her a few days ago when she went to the hospital under the escort of bodyguards come up.

"Madeleine, you've held the position of Mrs. Ortega for five years, yet you have never given birth to a child for Otto. By this alone, I have once more completely defeated you…"

"Madeleine, I want you to be my private doctor starting today, to ensure the safe delivery of my child…"

Are the reports of entertainment media, and the real child in Lilia's belly all telling her that her marriage with Otto had truly come to an end.

Madeleine, is it time to let go?

At noon, Madeleine went to the hospital for lunch as usual and continued to be responsible for checking the wards and recording the physical conditions of recent inpatients until four in the afternoon. She walked into the duty room and finally took out her phone from her pocket.

The screen of the phone showed no incoming calls, just like every day for the past five years, Otto never took the initiative to call her. Only at the family dinner each year, his assistant would call to notify her.

Madeleine's beautifully shaped eyebrows twitched slightly as she observed the long string of numbers after Otto's name on the phone. Then it didn't move.

Madeleine's eyebrows furrowed lightly, her hands subtly caressed the screen over his name, struggling inside her mind, hating herself for her cowardice and hesitation at this moment, wondering whether there was still a chance to salvage the marriage.

Should she call him? Madeleine wondered to herself.

After thinking for about ten seconds, she clenched her teeth, made up her mind, and dialed the number-