Chapter 3
I froze on the spot. I had stuffed cotton in my mouth and worn a mask to disguise my voice and appearance. I had even layered several clothes and surgical gowns to change my silhouette. I couldn't believe that Logan still recognized me despite all of that. I was so caught off guard that I could only stammer, "I-I…"
Logan glanced at my name tag and read it aloud. "You're Emma Kerr, huh?"
His suspicion immediately vanished since I had mentioned Emma, my colleague, to him before this.
He chuckled condescendingly, saying, "It makes sense. Mariella is so devoted to me that she never keeps me in the dark about her schedule. She definitely would've informed me if she had swapped shifts. She's likely fast asleep at home right now. She might even be dreaming about what she's making me for dinner tomorrow night."
I smiled mockingly and asked calmly, "Is that so? It seems like your relationship with your mother is remarkably intimate."
Logan tensed up and finally went quiet.
Yvonne urged Logan. "You should stop being so paranoid, darling! How could she be Mariella? Mariella is so insecure about losing you that she would have collapsed in tears the moment she saw us like this! She doesn't have the stomach to stay this composed!"
She then looked at me and said, "Please hurry up and separate us this instant, Dr. Kerr!"
I smiled faintly behind the mask and replied, "I've drafted a preliminary plan, so I'm going to step out and have a quick consultation with the senior specialists."
I walked out of the OR and returned shortly after, carrying some files. "I need you to remain completely still. I have consulted with the senior specialists and finalized the most appropriate surgical approach."
Logan's expression suddenly shifted to one of alarm when he spotted me taking hold of a scalpel. "Hold on! What the hell do you think you're doing with that scalpel?"
He tried to sit up in a panic, which only made Yvonne's condition worse. "Please stop moving! It hurts so much, darling! Please, I'm begging you!"
"Did you see how sharp that scalpel is? Aren't you scared of losing something while you're under? I won't let a single person touch me with that thing until I get a full explanation of what they're doing!" Logan bellowed.
I completely understood Logan's concern, so I made a point of explaining it to him. "You can rest assured that it'll be fine, Mr. Lane. You're just physically stuck. Once we remove the object, we'll be able to easily separate you two.
"It's a straightforward operation. I'll need you to sign this consent form for liability purposes. I'd like you to know that, as for the part about losing things, you'll actually lose something, but I can promise you, those things never truly belonged to you anyway."
In reality, Logan's business partners would never have worked with a nobody like him or provided him with resources if they hadn't discovered my identity and my Famiglia background. Thus, Logan's business and his fortune were never his to begin with.
Logan was thoroughly persuaded by my composed and expert manner. He let his guard down and agreed to let me perform the operation.
I pulled out a divorce agreement that stripped him of all his assets, masking it as a surgical consent form, which he didn't bother to read a single word of, and signed the back page immediately.
I smiled as Logan signed the agreement. I was just about to pull the divorce agreement away when Logan suddenly caught a peek at the header and gripped my hand in a vice. "You'd better stay right there! I thought I just saw the word 'divorce agreement' on that surgery form!"
I attempted to wrench my hand away in a slight panic, but the second he gripped my wrist, he noticed the extra layers of clothes I was wearing.
Logan asked, "Why is an ordinary doctor wearing so many layers? Who the hell are you?"
He pulled at me with all his strength, nearly injuring Yvonne beneath him with his wild movements. "It hurts so much, Logan! I beg you—please stop being so paranoid and stop moving!"
Logan explained, "It's not like that! I just think there's something wrong with the doctor—"
Yvonne, driven beyond endurance by the pain, seized the anesthesia-filled syringe beside her and injected it directly into Logan, who screamed in agony and then lost consciousness.
It occurred to me at that moment that Yvonne had a nursing background, so handling an anesthetic-filled syringe was nothing to her.
Yvonne exclaimed, "Please ignore him, Dr. Kerr! Logan is just naturally distrustful! I'll sign the consent form this instant, so please get started on the surgery to separate us!"
I merely shrugged in response, grateful for how foolish Yvonne was to have solved my crisis just in time.
It was several hours later, and the operation was completed. Logan regained consciousness in the hospital ward and hurriedly ran his hands over himself.
He breathed a sigh of relief after finding everything intact and looked up at me as I stood there in my mask. "Thank you, Dr. Kerr. Your expertise is remarkable. I apologize for my earlier suspicions regarding your integrity and the consent form."
"You're welcome. But I'm not Emma Kerr," I said as I took off my mask and smiled at him. "I'm Mariella Lazzari, your ex-wife."
Logan's complexion turned ashen. He gaped at me, eyes wide and lips parted, but he was utterly speechless.
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