You Gain One, You Lose One

I double over in pain after assisting Adrian Randall with a late-night operation. He immediately carries me to a ward to check on me. However, before he can do that, he receives a call from a patient and hurries off.

That night, I miscarry.

When I come out of the operating theater, I see his childhood friend's social media update. She's shared a photo of her baby bump.

"He hurried to come to my side just because I was lost. You have to treat Adrian well in the future, my darling!"

I rub my belly, which throbs with a dull ache. I don't cry and demand an explanation from Adrian as I would have in the past. Instead, I like the post and apply for a position on the Borderless Medical Assistance Program.

The day I leave, the high and mighty Dr. Randall looks at me with red-rimmed eyes. He asks, "How can you bear to leave me behind?"

When I learned it was a miscarriage, I called Adrian Randall more than ten times. But no one answered.

My best friend, Celeste Logan, a gynecologist, held my hand and comforted me for a long time before I finally agreed to get on the operating table.

Because I had a low tolerance for anesthesia, I woke up in pain several times. Each time, I hoped to see Adrian by my side. But he wasn't there.

It wasn't until after the surgery that he sent a message that read, "Katelyn is my patient. I have a responsibility toward her. I hope you understand."

Every time he left me to deal with Katelyn Russo, he would send me a similar message.

Clutching my stomach, I sat in Celeste's office to rest. I lifted my hand and typed a line of text into our chat: "But this time, I needed you more."

After thinking about it, I deleted it and typed a new message: "Okay, Dr. Randall."

Even though Celeste tried to persuade me to stay in the hospital to rest, I didn't heed her advice. If I did as she suggested, people would soon find out I was pregnant.

The hospital forbade office romance, and on the day that Adrian and I got together, he had already made it clear that I couldn't publicly show affection toward him. To others, we were just colleagues with good chemistry.

I didn't want to give him another reason for us to argue. We had already had plenty of conflicts because of Katelyn.

After Celeste watched me take my medication over a video call, I slumped on the couch, groggy.

Half-asleep, I was jolted awake by the sound of the door opening. It was Adrian.

"You're back." I sat upright.

"Yeah." He hung up his coat and went straight to the bathroom, not giving me a chance to say anything else.

It was always like this between us. We were colleagues on the outside but barely spoke at home.

I heard something chime. I turned my head