At six o'clock in the evening, the bustling corridors of Bayview United Medical Center were bathed in the stark, sterile glow of fluorescent lights. Cassie Garner had just finished a grueling four-hour surgery and returned to her office, rolling her stiff shoulders. Just as she sat down, her phone buzzed on the desk. It was a text message from her boyfriend, Baldwin Pittman. [Cassie, I have to work late tonight. I won't be able to make it to dinner. Get some rest and don't wait up for me.] Today was their third anniversary. She had originally planned to go back to their shared apartment after her shift, cook a lavish dinner from scratch, and wait for him to celebrate. She even had a massive surprise prepared for him—she had pulled countless strings, leveraged old connections, and spent sleepless nights to secure a commercial contract for a project his finance firm had been chasing for six months without success. But he was busy. For the past three years, he had been managing his investment firm, constantly tied up with social engagements and endless meetings. She was used to it. That was why she hadn't even mentioned to him that she had been temporarily transferred to this branch hospital for the month, not wanting to add to his stress. Just as Cassie was about to clock out and pack her bag, an ER nurse rushed into her office, her face pale with urgency. "Dr. Garner! We just got an emergency patient in the ER. Acute ruptured corpus luteum with severe abdominal hemorrhaging. Her vitals are dropping fast!" Cassie's expression instantly hardened into professional focus. She stood up, grabbing her stethoscope. She followed the nurse out, asking briskly, "Have we determined the cause? Was it blunt force trauma or spontaneous rupture?" The nurse coughed, looking slightly awkward and avoiding eye contact. "Um, according to the paramedics... it was due to overly intense sexual activity." Cassie didn't ask any further questions, merely quickening her pace down the hallway. As a top-tier surgeon with extensive experience, she had seen her fair share of similar cases. It was usually young, hot-blooded couples who didn't know their limits and took things too far. The moment she stepped into the chaotic emergency room, a furious, booming male voice cut through the noise of the monitors. "Where the hell is the doctor?! Why isn't anyone here yet?!" "She's passing out from the pain! Are you people going to treat her or what?!" Cassie's footsteps came to a dead halt. She looked up, her gaze cutting through the crowd of rushing medical staff, and landed squarely on the tall, broad-shouldered man standing next to the gurney. It was Baldwin Pittman. The very same man who had just texted her that he was swamped with work and couldn't spend their anniversary with her. Right now, his face was pale with frantic anxiety as he stared down at the young woman on the bed, who was whimpering in agony. Cassie's mind went completely blank, a deafening ringing filling her ears as the sterile smell of the hospital suddenly made her nauseous. "The surgeon is here!" the nurse announced, snapping the tension in the room. Baldwin whipped his head around, his eyes locking onto the female doctor standing in the doorway, clad in a white coat and a surgical mask. Seeing her frozen in place, he roared, "What are you standing there for?! Save her! If anything happens to her, I'll sue this entire hospital into the ground!" Cassie stared at Baldwin's face. The face that was usually so gentle and patient with her was now twisted into a vicious, terrifying snarl—all for the sake of another woman's safety. Standing rooted to the spot, Cassie dug her fingernails so hard into her palms that they almost drew blood. She didn't pull down her mask. She didn't rush forward to scream, cry, or demand an explanation. She simply turned to the head nurse and issued a cold, unwavering order: "Notify the blood bank to prepare for a massive transfusion. Get her into Operating Room One immediately." Baldwin frowned, a flicker of confusion crossing his features. The doctor's voice sounded eerily familiar, almost exactly like Cassie's. But he quickly dismissed the thought. Cassie worked at the main Columbia University Medical Center; there was no way she would be here. A second later, his entire focus snapped back to the fragile girl on the gurney, who was crying out in pain. The red light above the operating room flicked on. Under the glaring surgical lights, Cassie gripped the scalpel with steady, calloused hands. Incision, clamping, locating the bleeding point, suturing. Her movements were mechanical, flawless, and utterly devoid of emotion. She pushed every ounce of her betrayal down, focusing solely on the anatomy in front of her. An hour later, the surgery was a complete success. Cassie followed the medical team as they wheeled the recovery bed out of the OR. The moment the double doors swung open, she saw Baldwin leap up from the waiting room bench. He rushed to the side of the bed, his eyes brimming with heartache as he leaned down to press a tender kiss against the girl's pale cheek. "It's okay, Kindra. You're safe now. I'm right here," he whispered softly. Cassie shot Baldwin one final, freezing glare, turned on her heel, and walked away without a single word. Back in her office, she pulled the thick, hard-won commercial contract from her bag. With numb fingers, she tore the pages down the middle, again and again, until it was nothing but a pile of shredded confetti, and dumped it straight into the trash can. Then, she stripped off her white coat, changed into her street clothes, and hailed a cab back to the apartment they had planned to live in after getting married.

At eleven o'clock that night, the electronic lock on the apartment door chimed, signaling a correct passcode. Baldwin pushed the door open and stepped inside, loosening his tie. As he flipped on the entryway light, he paused, catching sight of Cassie sitting silently on the living room sofa in the dim shadows. He swapped his dress shoes for slippers and walked over, naturally leaning down to wrap his arms around her shoulders. "Cassie, why are you sitting here in the dark? Were you waiting up for me?" Cassie's entire body went rigid. A wave of intense, physiological nausea violently churned in her stomach. Just a few hours ago, these exact same arms had been holding another woman. This very body had been sweating and writhing with someone else. And now, he had the sheer audacity to come home and put on this sickening display of fake affection. She shoved him away with all her strength. Caught completely off guard, Baldwin stumbled back two steps, his expression instantly darkening into a scowl. "What is wrong with you?" Cassie didn't say a single word. She stood up and walked straight toward the master bedroom. Frowning in irritation, Baldwin followed her down the hall. Just as he reached the doorway, Cassie emerged, dragging a large, packed suitcase behind her. Seeing the luggage, Baldwin immediately assumed she was throwing a childish tantrum because he had missed their anniversary dinner. He swallowed his rising impatience and forced a coaxing tone. "Alright, I know I messed up today. But things have been insane at the firm. I'm working this hard to build a future for us, aren't I? Once this busy period is over, I promise I'll take you on a nice vacation. We'll spend a whole week together, just the two of us, okay?" Staring at his hypocritical, lying face, Cassie lost any desire to speak to him. She pulled her phone from her pocket, pulled up the digital medical record she had photographed from the hospital system, and shoved the screen right into his face. The screen clearly displayed the patient's information and diagnosis: Kindra Gonzales, 22 years old, acute ruptured corpus luteum. Baldwin's eyes locked onto the screen, and his pupils shrank to pinpricks. Within the span of a few seconds, the color of his face shifted from flushed red to chalk-white, and finally to a sickly, furious gray. He snapped his head up, staring at Cassie in sheer disbelief. He never imagined that Cassie's reach was long enough to pull confidential records from a completely different hospital! "Cassie, you investigated me?!" Baldwin's first reaction wasn't guilt or shame; it was the explosive anger of a man whose privacy had been violated. Cassie pulled her phone back, looking at his panicked, defensive rage. She found it utterly pathetic. She didn't even bother explaining that she had been the lead surgeon holding the scalpel. Her silence, in Baldwin's eyes, was a blatant admission of guilt. In a flash, his anger completely overrode whatever logic he had left. His handsome features twisted into a vicious sneer. "Fine, Cassie! I really underestimated you! But so what if you found out? Don't forget, you completely cut ties with your wealthy family just to be with me! You have absolutely nowhere to go! Without this apartment, you'd be sleeping on the streets!" Cassie looked at the man standing in front of her as if she were watching a clown perform a miserable routine. Three years of devotion and sacrifice felt so incredibly cheap and laughable in this moment. She had given up her luxurious life, alienated her fiercely protective brothers, and worked grueling shifts just to support his startup. But suddenly, she felt a profound sense of relief. She was glad she had seen his true colors before she married him and ruined her life completely. *Smack!* A sharp, ringing slap echoed through the apartment as Cassie's hand connected flawlessly with Baldwin's cheek. She didn't hold back an ounce of strength, her calloused fingers leaving a bright red mark on his skin. "You disgust me, Baldwin." With that, she grabbed the handle of her suitcase, bypassed his frozen figure, and walked straight toward the front door. Clutching his burning cheek, Baldwin spun around and roared at her retreating back, "Cassie! If you walk out that door, don't you dare come crying back to me!" Cassie stepped out into the biting New York night without a single backward glance. Standing under the dim glow of a streetlamp, she pulled out her phone and ruthlessly blocked Baldwin's number, his social media accounts, and every mutual contact they shared. Then, she scrolled down to a number she hadn't dialed in three long years. Her thumb hovered over the screen for a second before she pressed call. The line connected on the very first ring. Hearing the deep, familiar voice on the other end, Cassie's eyes burned with unshed tears. Her voice choked with emotion as she whispered, "Cody... I was wrong. I want to come home."

The next morning at ten o'clock, the arrivals terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport was packed with a surging crowd. Cassie pulled her suitcase out of the arrival gates, the morning sun shining through the towering glass walls onto her pale, exhausted face. As soon as she turned on her phone, a text from her older brother, Cody Garner, popped up on the screen. [Cassie, there's an emergency situation at the company that I have to handle immediately. I can't leave the office, but I've arranged for someone to pick you up.] Cassie typed a quick "Okay" and stood near the exit, waiting patiently with her luggage. Meanwhile, not too far away, a tall, broad-shouldered man was striding toward the pickup area. Keegan Mcguire's face was terrifyingly dark, his entire body radiating a freezing, unapproachable aura. If his grandfather hadn't threatened him with a hunger strike, there was no way in hell he would be at the airport this early to pick up a woman he had never met for a forced marriage. Keegan pressed his thin lips together, his gray eyes flashing with deep impatience. He pulled out his phone and tapped open the photo his grandfather had sent him. It was a blurry, distant shot of a woman with a petite frame and pale skin, smiling brightly under the sun, looking docile and harmless. Locking his screen, Keegan lifted his gaze, scanning the crowd with cold indifference. A second later, his eyes locked onto a slender figure standing by the railing. The woman was wearing a tailored black trench coat, her dark chestnut hair tied back in a messy bun. Even without a drop of makeup, her striking, amber-eyed beauty was undeniable. Keegan stared at her for two seconds before walking straight up to her. "Did you just fly in from the West Coast?" he asked, his voice flat and commanding. Cassie looked up, slightly startled by the imposing man standing in front of her. Assuming this was the assistant Cody had sent, and thinking he was just confirming her origin, she gave a polite nod. Seeing her confirm it, Keegan didn't waste another breath. "Follow me." He dropped those two words and turned on his heel. Cassie quickly grabbed her suitcase and hurried to keep up with his long strides. Once inside the waiting black Maybach, Keegan leaned back against the plush leather seat, closed his eyes, and remained completely silent. Cassie stared out the window, equally uninterested in making small talk. Having just ended a three-year nightmare, she was physically and mentally exhausted, only wanting to return to the home she hadn't seen in years. In the driver's seat, Preston Miller glanced at the rearview mirror, sweating nervously. These two looked less like a couple about to get married and more like sworn enemies. As Cassie watched the passing buildings, she suddenly froze. The car was pulling up to the New York City Clerk's Office. She turned to Keegan in utter confusion. "Why are we here?" Keegan had already pushed his door open. Hearing her question, he frowned sharply. "Didn't your family tell you? Given your family's current situation, marrying me is the best option you have." Cassie's mind buzzed as if struck by lightning. *Her family's current situation?* She suddenly remembered Cody's text about an "emergency situation at the company." Did the Garner Group encounter an insurmountable financial crisis? Was Cody using this marriage to save their family empire? Panicking, she pulled out her phone and dialed Cody's number. "Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable..." The automated voice repeated coldly. Cassie's heart sank like a stone. Three years ago, she had selfishly cut ties with her family for Baldwin. Now that the Garner family was in trouble, what right did she have to run away? It was just a marriage. If it could save her brother's company, she would jump into the fire without hesitation. Taking a deep breath, Cassie pushed the car door open. "Let's go." Keegan shot her a strange look, finding her sudden shift in attitude odd, but he didn't ask. They walked into the building side by side. Providing their IDs, filling out the marriage license application, standing through a brief civil ceremony with a clerk acting as the officiant, and signing the final documents. The entire process took less than twenty minutes. Stepping out of City Hall, Keegan casually shoved the marriage certificate into his suit pocket and tossed a silver key to Cassie. "Number Eight, Upper East Side Penthouse. Move your things there yourself. I have business to attend to. We'll talk later." With that, he got back into the Maybach and drove off. Cassie stood on the sidewalk, speechless. *Was this how people got married nowadays?* But it was fine. It was just a commercial arrangement; there was no need to pretend they cared. She put the key in her bag and hailed a yellow cab. "Take me to the Garner Estate on Long Island, please." Half an hour later, the taxi pulled up to the massive wrought-iron gates. Paying the fare, Cassie stepped out and stared at the familiar stone mansion, her eyes growing hot. Three years ago, she had dragged her suitcase out of these gates, swearing she would never return because she thought love was everything. How foolish she had been. The heavy doors opened, and Arthur Hayes, the elderly butler with graying hair, hurried down the steps with tears in his eyes. "Cassie! You're finally home!" "Arthur, I'm back," Cassie said, hugging the old man tightly. "Come inside, it's cold," Arthur choked out, wiping his eyes. "Where are Cody and my other brother?" Cassie asked casually. "Cody is busy at the company, but he ordered us to prepare everything for your arrival. Your other brother is overseas and probably doesn't even know you're back yet..."