Chapter 5
Chris and Cynthia returned to the car in the parking lot. They were both covered in foam and looked ridiculous. They didn't want people to laugh at them.
Chris called Matthew to bring them some clothes, then sat in the car looking gloomy.
He was thinking about Joanna. She had changed so much in the past couple of days that he barely recognized her anymore.
This made him feel things were slipping out of his control, and he didn't like that feeling at all!
Watching him from the side, Cynthia immediately guessed what he was thinking. That bitch Joanna was deliberately acting like she didn't care about Chris to get his attention!
"Chris, maybe I should resign. Joanna really seems to hate me. I don't want to ruin your relationship because of me," Cynthia said, pretending to back down.
Chris immediately refused. "Cynthia, you're a key player in the company! We can't do without you! If Joanna wants to make a fuss, let her. Worst case, we'll just get divorced! Let's see who wants to marry her then!"
Chris sneered. He didn't believe Joanna really wanted to divorce him.
Hearing this, Cynthia finally felt relieved. She continued to put Joanna down in front of Chris. "I just got word that Dr. J has already entered the operating room. The Smiths are all outside the OR; we can't get anywhere near."
Chris angrily pounded the steering wheel. He didn't get along with the Smiths, so they definitely wouldn't help introduce him to Dr. J.
It was all Joanna's fault. She ruined everything!
After finishing her prep, Joanna went to meet the patient's family. She needed to discuss some important points with them. Just as she turned the corner, she saw a tall figure.
At the sound of footsteps, the man turned around, revealing his familiar, sharp-featured face, which made Joanna grip her medical chart tighter.
Angelo Smith!
He was the patient's family!
Joanna touched her face. Thank goodness her mask was still on properly.
She didn't want Angelo to recognize her!
If there was anyone she felt guilty toward in her marriage to Chris, it was definitely Angelo.
She met Angelo during her senior year of college.
At that time, her father's company was already in trouble. Henry had set up several blind dates for her, hoping she could assist the company through marriage.
Joanna wanted to continue her medical studies, but Henry hid all her documents to prevent her from applying to graduate schools.
When her advisor kept pushing her to submit her application materials, Henry tore up her application. Joanna finally broke down and cried on a bench by the campus lake.
That's when Angelo appeared. Joanna knew of him; he was three years ahead of her and her advisor's star student.
Angelo told her that if she wanted to go further in medicine, she needed more courage: to break ties with her father, steal her ID documents, and so on.
Joanna was shocked by Angelo's radical advice, but he was the only one willing to listen to her at the time, so she answered honestly, "Even if I steal my documents, I can't afford to continue my studies."
Angelo told her that the Smith Group sponsored promising graduates every year to pursue advanced studies. If Joanna needed it, she could apply for this funding.
Joanna felt a glimmer of hope, but she didn't understand why Angelo wanted to help her.
Angelo said he'd heard their advisor mention her name many times and knew she was talented. He didn't want to see that talent go to waste.
Later, Joanna followed Angelo's advice, stole her documents, and used Smith Group's funding to apply for further studies.
She studied very hard. During this time, she occasionally kept in touch with Angelo: holiday greetings, and sometimes questions about academic difficulties.
Smith Group owned the world's best pharmaceutical companies and had the most advanced research, so Angelo could always help her find solutions to her problems.
Joanna considered him her best friend.
Later, she became Dr. J and could finally save more lives.
Just as she wanted to share this news with Angelo, Henry's scheme led her to sleep with Chris.
She and Chris had been acquainted since childhood, and she'd always had a romantic interest in him. So, when Chris asked for her hand in marriage, she said yes.
But Chris insisted that she not work after marriage, so she had to give up her role as Dr. J.
Angelo had tried to talk her out of it. "You can prioritize your family, but the medical field needs you. Don't give up completely. Have you forgotten your dreams?"
But back then, all she could think about was Chris. She had a big fight with Angelo and ended up deleting his contact information.
So now, seeing him, Joanna only felt guilty. She had let down all of Angelo's help.
"Dr. J?" Angelo's gaze fell on Joanna's face, studying it intently.
Joanna's heart jumped. Could he have recognized her?
"If there are no questions, you can sign," Joanna said, keeping her head down to avoid Angelo's gaze.
While signing, Angelo said with a smile, "Dr. J's voice reminds me of an old friend."
Joanna's voice came out stiff from nervousness. "Many people have similar voices."
Angelo seemed to laugh. Joanna quickly took back the surgical consent form and headed to the operating room.
The patient was Angelo's uncle, who loved extreme sports. This time, he hadn't taken proper safety measures and had broken his bones.
If it were just a regular fracture, other doctors could handle it.
But the bone damage was severe, almost shattered, requiring hand-bonding of bone cells to rebuild the skeleton.
It required extreme precision and the surgeon's complete focus.
Although Joanna hadn't been in an operating room for three years, the moment she picked up the scalpel, she found her old rhythm.
Her cuts were quick and steady, and she was completely absorbed.
By the time the surgery was done, it was 7 PM.
Coming out of the OR, Joanna's legs felt weak, and she could barely stand.
She instinctively reached out to brace herself against a wall, but instead grabbed a man's pectorals, which felt pretty good.
"Sorry..." Joanna looked up and realized it was Angelo.
"Want to grab something to eat?" Angelo suggested.
Joanna instinctively touched her mask to make sure it was still on. "I'm not hungry..."
She really didn't know how to face Angelo.
But Angelo spoke up, "Joanna, are you avoiding me?"
Joanna's eyes widened. When... when did he recognize her!