Heart's Temptation: Doctor's Game of Love

“Eve, I’m not saying this to criticize you, but you really need to learn some self-control. You young people just don’t know when to stop. Tell your boyfriend not to try so hard, okay? Someone could get hurt!”

Dr. Zoe kindly handed Evelyn Shawn a cup of hot water, speaking to her in the caring tone of an elder looking out for a younger one.

Evelyn didn’t dare speak, silently lowering her head to drink the water. Only her slightly flushed ears betrayed what was going on in her mind.

Just an hour ago, she had been blushing, unable to look at Victor Kingsley in the mirror. She barely turned her head when she heard the man’s voice from behind.

“What are you looking at?”

“Turn around and look in the mirror.”

His voice was cold, an icy contrast to the heat of the bathroom at that moment. The handsome face beneath his gold-rimmed glasses was as chilly as his tone, giving off a feeling of being distant and unapproachable.

Evelyn didn’t have the courage to look at the mirror. She could only close her eyes, silently praying he would finish this soon.

But, as usual, things didn’t go as hoped.

It felt like forever before he finally let her go.

Evelyn almost couldn’t stand properly, stumbling out of the bathroom.

In the room, her clothes were scattered across the floor, mirroring her chaotic mood at that moment.

As she put her clothes back on, the bathroom door opened.

Victor was fully dressed, his gold-rimmed glasses back on his high nose, hiding his deep, almost piercing gaze. His neat appearance only made Evelyn feel more self-conscious, and she instinctively clenched her hands.

True to his word, Victor had indeed lent her the twenty thousand dollars.

When Evelyn received the money, she quietly promised him, “I’ll pay you back.”

The man didn’t respond.

Evelyn left in silence.

As soon as she stepped outside, a sharp pain shot through her stomach. She faintly realized she was bleeding.

Quickly, she grabbed a shared bike and rushed to the hospital.

When Dr. Zoe saw her pale face, one hand pressed against her lower abdomen, she immediately grew concerned. “Eve, what’s going on? Is it menstrual pain?”

Evelyn could barely speak through the pain, her voice faint. “It’s probably ovarian rupture.”

Dr. Zoe was an experienced doctor, so she knew exactly what was happening when she heard that. Without asking further, she quickly handed Evelyn an examination sheet and helped her through a series of tests.

The result confirmed Evelyn’s suspicion: ovarian rupture and bleeding.

Luckily, the blood loss wasn’t severe enough to be life-threatening.

After the IV drip, Evelyn felt slightly better and thanked Dr. Zoe.

The next morning.

Evelyn was woken up by the sound of her alarm clock. She quickly checked the time and panicked, rushing out of bed and toward the locker room. She was just in time for the morning shift change, but she would’ve been scolded if she had missed it.

“Everyone knows what’s been happening at the hospital recently, so I won’t go into detail. There are a lot of media people around, so be careful. Only speak to what’s necessary—don’t say anything unnecessary,” Dr. Reed Joyce, the department head, spoke with a stern tone.

Once everyone nodded, he dismissed the meeting.

“Eve, come to my office. The rest of you go on your rounds,” Reed called out to Evelyn before leaving.

Her colleague, Yara Sommers, looked at her with concern, but Evelyn just shook her head to signal that she was fine.

She followed Reed into his office.

The moment Evelyn entered, Reed ordered, “Close the door.”

Evelyn carefully shut the door behind her.

Reed sat down in his chair, pulled a letter from the drawer, and tossed it at her. “Explain this.”

Evelyn straightened her back. “I’m from the same hometown as Zara Holt. She’s been looking out for me, and I wanted to do something for her.”

Reed sneered. “You’re quite loyal, huh? But do you know what this will cost you?”

She did know. And it was a cost she couldn’t afford.

But she still did it.

“You failed your internship. You won’t even qualify to take the graduation exam. From what I know, your family isn’t doing too well, and you always pay your internship fees the latest,” Reed’s tone softened slightly.

Evelyn pressed her lips together tightly.

Reed stood up, walked a few steps toward her, and placed his hand on her shoulder, gently patting it. “Eve, don’t be foolish. This is your last chance to graduate. I’m giving you an opportunity.”

But instead of withdrawing his hand, he squeezed her shoulder tightly.

Evelyn immediately took two large steps back, as if startled.

Reed squinted, looking displeased.

“Dr. Joyce, I know I was wrong. I’ll destroy the letter and won’t speak to anyone about this. Please, don’t worry,” Evelyn assured him.

Reed sneered, unimpressed. “You think this is over?”

Evelyn clenched the letter tightly in her hand.

Reed leaned in, whispering in her ear, “You know my address. Come to my house tonight, and I’ll sign and stamp your paperwork as soon as you arrive.”

His breath filled her ear, mixed with a faint, sweet scent. Reed’s face twisted into a strange and eager smile.

He was already impatient to taste her.

Evelyn hurriedly fled, clutching the letter.

…

“Eve, we can’t accept this money.” Zara’s mother, Hannah Holt, said with red eyes, refusing the card Evelyn was offering her.

Before her godmother could leave, Evelyn pressed the card into her hand.

“Aunt, please just take it. Guton still needs surgery, right? Saving his life is the priority.” Evelyn insisted, pushing the card back into Hannah’s hand.

Hannah looked at Evelyn with teary eyes. “Where did you get so much money?”

Earlier, Evelyn had told her the card had two hundred thousand dollars.

Hannah had watched Evelyn grow up and knew her family wasn’t well-off. Two hundred thousand was a huge amount for Evelyn, and she worried deeply.

Evelyn explained, “I borrowed it from a friend. Please, just take it.”

“Then let me borrow it from you.” Hannah began to write a loan note, but Evelyn stopped her.

“Aunt, don’t treat me like an outsider. If you hadn’t saved me when I was six, I’d be dead by now. Just accept this money, okay? We need to get through this crisis first.” Evelyn gripped Hannah’s hand, her gaze firm.

In the end, Hannah accepted the money. Her daughter Zara had committed suicide, and her son was suffering from severe heart disease. At her lowest point, she had even considered joining her daughter in death to end the suffering.

“Uncle should be out tomorrow, right? Tell him not to cause any more trouble. Let’s focus on Guton’s surgery first, and later, we’ll seek justice for Zara.” Evelyn spoke softly to Hannah.

“He won’t cause any more trouble. If he does, our whole family will fall apart.” Hannah shook her head, tears falling freely.

Evelyn’s heart ached, knowing how desperate they were. That’s why she’d been willing to take shortcuts.

Thankfully, she’d met some good people.

Lost in thought, Evelyn didn’t notice when the hospital door opened, and several doctors walked in.

“Family of bed 13, this is Dr. Kingsley from Cardiac Surgery, an expert in this field. If you have any questions, feel free to ask him.”

Dr. Weston, the head of Cardiac Surgery, said, introducing Victor. After speaking with Hannah, he turned to Victor and explained, “Dr. Kingsley, this is the patient I mentioned, with congenital heart disease—pulmonary artery obstruction and underdeveloped pulmonary valve, causing severe blood supply insufficiency. Immediate surgical intervention is needed.”

Victor leaned in to listen to Guton’s heartbeat.

Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat.

It was him!

Even though the man wore a mask and gold-rimmed glasses, she recognized him immediately.

A chill ran down her spine as she knocked over a glass of water, spilling it everywhere.

Victor glanced up at her, his dark eyes full of displeasure, clearly annoyed by her clumsiness. But after a brief look, he turned away, returning to his usual cool and aloof demeanor as he continued examining Guton.

He didn’t remember her?

No, that’s not right.

He had said it himself—they were just a one-night affair. It was over by dawn.

So he wasn’t forgetting her; he was simply ignoring her. Or maybe he didn’t care at all.

That was fine, Evelyn thought. Her heart, which had been pounding in her chest, slowly calmed.

“Surgeon can be scheduled,” Victor said, putting away his stethoscope and speaking to the waiting director. “It’s not a big issue.”

Dr. Weston immediately breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll arrange for the surgery time later. Also, the patient is RH negative, so we’ll need to prepare blood plasma just in case.”

“Dr. Weston, I’m RH negative. I can donate blood.” Evelyn quickly spoke up, eager to help.

Victor gave her another glance, cold and emotionless.

Dr. Weston, however, seemed pleased. “Great! Which department are you interning in?”

Evelyn reported, “Obstetrics and Gynecology.”

“I’ll have your department head add some points to your internship evaluation,” Dr. Weston said with a satisfied smile.

“Thank you, Director!” Evelyn couldn’t hide her joy.

But just as her excitement grew, she froze under the icy gaze of the man standing nearby.