Chapter 759

No response. I fired off a couple more messages, but still nothing. She was probably swamped—again. And yep, nailed it. Turns out the mom of the 1,385th baby had a serious postpartum bleed, so Lena had to ditch her phone and bolt back into the OR.

By the time Lena finally stepped out of the OR, the sun was up, and she was still wearing the chaos of the night—scrubs streaked with blood, hands showing traces of the battle. But the mother had made it.

“Have the family meet me in my office,” she told a nurse on her way to the locker room.

During the surgery, Lena found out the real reason for the mother’s bleeding: stress. And not just any stress. Turns out, the husband had completely lost it over the baby being a girl. He’d spewed garbage about how they’d “wasted ten months on her, pampering her with good food and care, just for her to pop out something ‘worthless.’” Oh, and the cherry on top? He casually mentioned selling the baby—apparently, someone out there would cough up one grand for a girl.

It wasn’t Lena’s first rodeo with trash like this, but it never got easier. This kind of stuff lit her up inside.

She hadn’t even finished changing when the guy stormed into her office, finger jabbing the air. “I didn’t sign off on anything! I’m not paying for her surgery!”

Lena froze mid-motion, her temper already fraying. She took two steps toward him. “What did you just say? Say it again.”

Maybe it was the blood on her hands or the way she squared up, but the guy’s swagger faltered. Still, he muttered, “I’m not paying.”

Lena’s laugh was sharp. “Oh, really? Let’s see how that goes for you.”

He flinched but doubled down. “I said I’m not paying! What’s the big deal? Women bleed after childbirth—it’s normal. She wasn’t in any danger. You just wanted to cash in by dragging her into surgery.”

Lena’s anger hit volcanic levels. She jabbed a finger right at his face. “Your wife just gave birth to your child, and instead of showing her an ounce of care or gratitude, you spew this trash? Are you even human?”

Chapter 750

“This is my family’s business. You’re just a doctor. Your job was to deliver the baby—so stay out of it.” A middle-aged woman strolled in. No introduction needed—it was obviously the mother-in-law. Clearly, terrible attitudes ran in the family.

Lena’s voice was ice-cold. “While she’s in this hospital, her safety is my responsibility. I have every right to intervene.”

The woman sneered. “Oh, listen to you! Acting like some kind of hero.”

Lena didn’t bother arguing with them—waste of oxygen. She turned to the nurse at her side. “Call the police. Women and children are under legal protection in this country. Let’s see who’s so bold now.”

With that, she spun on her heel and headed back to the locker room.

The second she sat down, exhaustion slammed into her. She was done. So done. How nice it would be if someone could just hold her for a minute. But the person she needed? Probably on a plane right now.

Nate had messaged yesterday—he’d be back today. Despite everything, the thought of seeing him lit a spark in her chest. Even if the last time he’d been too busy to really be there, she couldn’t help it—she was looking forward to this.

After a quick clean-up and a wardrobe refresh, Lena hit the hospital room to check on her patient. Predictably, the vibes were grim. The woman looked like life had punched her in the gut one too many times.

No questions needed—her family? Total no-shows of care or love. If they weren’t ignoring her, they were probably blaming her for everything.

Lena had seen this play out before. She could patch things up for now, sure. But lasting change? Yeah, not her department. That was up to the woman to summon her inner badass and fight back.

Later, at her apartment, Lena slid into a bath and set an alarm for her meetup with Nate. Not that it mattered—her brain was so hyped to see him, she woke up before it even buzzed.

Nate’s plane landed. The man strutted out in a caramel coat, radiating “main character” energy. The second Lena spotted him, she bolted.

Nate didn’t miss a beat, dropping his bag and scooping her up.