Evan stood up, "I understand. Goodbye, Father and Mother."
"Alright, just call ahead if you want to come back for a meal," Mrs. Lancaster said while pulling Sophia to her feet.
"Mom, why are you pulling me?"
"Evan is leaving. Why are you just standing there?"
Sophia: "...I haven’t packed my things."
Mr. Lancaster, who had gone to her room at some point, came out dragging her suitcase, "No need to pack. Your mother already packed your things this afternoon."
"...I need to check if anything was missed..."
"No need. Even the clothes you changed yesterday are packed, along with all those bottles you bring with."
Sophia was speechless.
Unable to find any more excuses, she had no choice but to leave with Evan. As she walked out, she kept looking back, which prompted Mrs. Lancaster to push her out and slam the door in her face.
Sophia: "..."
The suitcase in her hand was taken by Evan, who walked to the elevator first. After a moment of hesitation, Sophia followed him.
The elevator door closed, and the small space felt stifling.
Of course, it was only Sophia who felt the discomfort.
She wanted to say something to break the awkward silence but didn’t know what to say, so she stayed quiet.
Once downstairs, Evan pulled the suitcase to the trunk, intending to put it inside, but Sophia stopped him.
Evan looked at her in confusion, "What are you doing?"
"I’m not going back with you." With that, she dragged the suitcase to the roadside to hail a cab.
Evan watched her back with some frustration.
After standing there for a moment, he walked up to her and said, "Let's talk at home. It's too late to find a cab."
"I'm not going back. I'm going to Mia's."
Evan knew she was being stubborn and didn’t expose her lie. He took the suitcase from her hand.
Sophia immediately got angry, "I said I’m not going back! Evan, we’re getting divorced soon. I have the right to some freedom!"
Evan’s face darkened, but he still firmly placed her suitcase in the trunk, then opened the passenger door and pulled her inside.
After getting in the car himself, he spoke with a tone that brooked no argument, "Even if we’re getting divorced, it won’t be now."
"Does it matter?"
"It does." Evan looked at her seriously, "As long as we’re not divorced, you’re my wife, and I have the responsibility to protect you."
Responsibility?
Sophia felt a pang in her heart, "Is it just responsibility?"
Evan didn’t respond.
She continued, "Of course, to you, there are no feelings involved. You’re just a machine that performs surgeries. Evan, I really regret not divorcing you today."
Evan’s body stiffened, then he said, "You didn’t go to the State Court."
He had returned from his trip the night before and couldn’t sleep all night.
The divorce agreement he gave Sophia was a test; he never intended to sign it or divorce her.
He had been waiting near the State Court early in the morning.
He was gambling that Sophia wouldn’t show up either.
Fortunately, he won the bet. The entire morning passed without Sophia showing up, which made him both relieved and happy.
But he didn’t expect that when he finally saw her, she still didn’t want to go home with him.
"I... I was at work today. I couldn’t take leave."
Sophia was lying through her teeth and felt miserable about it.
He actually went to the State Court to wait for her.
Evan, who had been feeling sad, raised an eyebrow at her words, his tone unusually teasing, "Really? I went to your company. They said you took the day off."
"......"
Sophia felt even worse.
He was so determined to divorce her that he even checked with her company and came to her parents’ house. He was resolute about ending their marriage.
Taking a deep breath, she fought back her tears and said, "Yes, I admit I lied. I don’t want to divorce you, so I hid. But since you’re so determined, let's go through with it. Monday morning at 9, I won’t run away again."
She doesn’t want to divorce him?
Does that mean she has feelings for him?
A wave of indescribable joy surged in Evan's heart. He had never felt so happy in his life.
"Sophia, I..."
"Ring, ring, ring~"
The old-fashioned ringtone interrupted him.
Evan took out his phone and answered. His expression suddenly became serious.
After hanging up, he started the car and said, "I’ll take you home first. I have an emergency surgery to attend to at the hospital."
Sophia stayed silent.
He drove quickly, halving the usual twenty-minute journey.
Handing her the suitcase, Evan said, "Don't leave again. Wait for me to come back. I have something to tell you." He added, "I’ll come back right after the surgery!"
Before Sophia could respond, he hurriedly got back in the car and drove off.
It wasn't until his car was out of sight that Sophia snapped out of it and dragged her suitcase upstairs.
She wouldn’t leave before he came back. She wanted to talk to him properly.
...
Evan expected to finish the surgery quickly, as usual. However, the patient had several cardiac arrests during the procedure. By the time he successfully completed the surgery and exited the operating room, it was already dawn.
Thinking of Sophia waiting for him at home, he hurried to leave. But after a few steps, he stopped, looked down at his clothes, and went to the lounge.
After a shower and a change of clothes, Evan went to his office to get something, but he received a call from the emergency department.
"Dr. Hunter, you need to come to the ER right away. There's been a fire in a residential area, and many people are injured. We’re short-staffed."
Evan immediately agreed, "Alright, I’ll be right there."
Putting on his white coat, he sent a message to Sophia explaining the situation, hoping she would understand.
At the ER, Evan was extremely busy.
By midday, he had finally pieced together the facts from the injured:
Around 4 AM, a fire had broken out downstairs. Most people were still asleep and had inhaled a lot of smoke before realizing it. The family where the fire started was severely injured and undergoing surgery.
"Hey, isn’t that Dr. Hunter from our community?" Someone recognized Evan.
Evan turned to see a neighbor from his building. His heart sank, "Did the fire happen in our community?"
"Yes, I don’t know what caused it. It was lucky the neighbors called 911 early, or it could have been worse."
Evan frowned, deep in thought.
The neighbor continued, "Dr. Hunter, is anyone home? Residents above the 11th floor have come to the hospital for check-ups..."
"You mean the fire was in my building?"
