Chapter 2

As she finished speaking, Caleb's footsteps sounded behind her: "What are you talking to yourself about?" He walked over, saw the cross she had drawn on the calendar, frowned slightly, then assumed he understood. "Are you counting down to the wedding?" According to the plan, they were supposed to register their marriage today and hold the wedding in two weeks. But Sylvia was counting down to the day she would leave. She neither denied nor confirmed it, hinting instead: "Fifteen more days, and this life will be over." This could also apply to the end of single life after marriage. So Caleb didn't suspect anything and nodded: "The airline's been busy lately. You handle the wedding arrangements—do everything just the way you like." Sylvia had her back to Caleb, so he couldn't see her expression. She gave a faint, bitter smile: "Are you sure you won't stand me up at the wedding?" Caleb paused, his tone slightly annoyed: "I told you, something came up today. How long are you going to hold a grudge? Enough, stop overthinking and let's sleep." With that, he turned and got into bed. Sylvia said nothing more. She turned off the light and lay down with her back to him. The next day, Sylvia went to the hospital to resign. Because the hospital was short-staffed, the director asked her to work for ten more days, and she agreed. Back in her office, she had just sat down when a colleague came over: "Dr. Sylvia, I have an emergency. Can we swap shifts?" Since she had nothing urgent, Sylvia nodded. After informing the nurse, the nurse began calling patients for her. "Cardiovascular Department, Room 1. Patient Vanessa, you may come in." Hearing the name, Sylvia froze. She looked up and saw Caleb walking in with the woman with wavy hair. Clearly, Caleb hadn't expected to see her here either. But after a moment of surprise, he spoke calmly: "Dr. Sylvia, she has a heart condition and hasn't been feeling well lately. Please examine her." The unfamiliar address and businesslike tone reminded her: they were strangers in public. Sylvia suppressed the sting in her heart and proceeded with the routine questions: "What kind of discomfort are you experiencing?" Vanessa answered each question, her hand constantly holding onto Caleb's sleeve. When Sylvia was writing the prescription, Vanessa noticed the photo of Sylvia and her son Hunter on the desk and struck up a conversation: "Dr. Sylvia, you look so young—I didn't expect you to have such a big child. What does the father do? Is he a doctor like you?" Sylvia paused mid-writing, almost amused. Everyone in this room knew exactly what their relationships were. Yet on the surface, they had to pretend not to know each other. Why? She looked up and said calmly, "No, he's a pilot. He works at Horizon Airlines." Before she could finish, Sylvia caught a glimpse of a dark, unreadable flash in Caleb's eyes. In the past, she would have confronted him the moment he walked in with Vanessa. But now she had decided to leave. There was no need to expose her relationship with Caleb, or his with Vanessa. She lowered her head again and added, "But the father's always busy. He's on a business trip in another province." Then she handed over the prescription: "Turn left out the door, take the elevator to the third floor for an ECG." Vanessa raised an eyebrow but said nothing more. She turned to Caleb and cooed, "Caleb, I don't feel well. Help me." Caleb supported her as they left. Sylvia's gaze fell on the photo of her and her son, and she gently touched Hunter's image in the picture. Then she called out to Caleb: "Wait. The family member needs to sign here." She took out the "Voluntary Relinquishment of Custody" documents she had printed that morning from the drawer, flipped to the last page, and pointed to a spot for Caleb, who walked back frowning: "Sign here." As expected, Caleb didn't bother reading what the document said. He picked up a pen, signed casually, then turned and hurried back to Vanessa's side. Sylvia watched his figure disappear quickly, then looked down at Caleb's name on the document. A mix of emotions turned into a sigh of relief. She was completely free of worry now.