Episode 4

Kate parked her cheap car next to James' collection of luxury vehicles. In all their time as a married couple, she had never even stepped foot inside one of them.

Kate rode the elevator up from the underground garage and got off on the second floor, in the hallway leading to the bedrooms. She passed a decorative mirror and instantly thought about fixing her appearance. She let her hair down and took off her lab coat. She undid a few buttons on her blouse, hoping to reveal her neckline.

Afterward, Kate walked with long strides toward the bedroom, but when she entered, James was not there. On the bed, there were only traces of the last intense night of passion they had shared.

Thinking to herself, Kate imagined he was in his office, which was on the same floor. She didn't overthink it and headed there. She could already envision herself sitting on his lap, the two of them initiating an encounter of pure desire on that armchair or even on the mahogany desk in his office.

As she drew closer, Kate could hear voices coming from the office. James sounded serious as he spoke, which dampened her excitement.

Instead of entering, Kate decided to eavesdrop on the conversation.

“No, Maycon! I don't have any feelings for that woman, everything between us is just part of an agreement.”

Kate felt a hole opening in her chest, imagining that James was probably talking to his friend about her.

“I can't just end everything now, things are difficult. Mom is… you know Mom doesn't have much time left, and the company isn't doing well. The best thing is to leave everything as it is for now.”

“…”

“I don't like it, I hate it when she comes clinging to me, it disgusts me. But I have to put up with it for a while longer.”

Kate buttoned up her blouse, feeling awful hearing James' words. She thought to herself, he supposedly hates her.

“I can't wait to say enough is enough to that woman and finally live in peace with the woman I love. Yes, every day I'm more certain that I love her, and when all this is over, I want to tell her that and have a real wedding with her.”

Still listening, a tear rolled down Kate's cheek. She had secretly wished for this, to hear from her own husband that he loved her, but now she was hearing that he wanted to say it to another woman, probably Miranda, his ex-girlfriend, the one he was going to marry before Kate came between them.

“Anyway, for now I have to manage all of this. Did you arrange the dinner with Miranda for tonight?”

“…”

“Right, tell her I'll pick her up at 7 pm. Kate will still be at the hospital at that time.”

At that moment, Kate couldn't bear to hear another word and ran. She grabbed her lab coat and went to the garage. She felt so foolish for feeling remorseful about the harsh words she had said to James. While she cared about him, he supposedly cared about another woman.

As Kate was leaving, James continued talking to his friend, unaware that Kate had been at the door, hearing everything.

“Why don't you just do it yourself and stop using me to send messages to Miranda?” Maycon complained, tired of the whole situation.

“If I call her, it will give her the impression that she can call me back. I prefer to keep this distance, maybe that way she'll give up on me and find someone else for her obsession.”

“Just tell her you're not interested, James! This situation is getting ridiculous, even for me. Miranda is annoying and spoiled, you're not being a real friend making me put up with this woman,” Maycon replied, already irritated.

“I can't tell her now, you know that. Mom is sick, the partners don't trust my management, and if we lose the investment from Miranda's father, the company will be at risk.”

“Right, and what about admitting your marriage to Kate to everyone? What do you intend to do?”

“By then, I'll have found an investor better than Miranda's father; I'm sure of it.”

James hung up, lost in thought. He wasn't in a very comfortable situation at that moment, he felt like he was walking a tightrope, balancing his personal life and his professional life in each hand.

That day, Kate dedicated herself to work like never before. She visited all the patients in her area and did what she could. When she didn't have work, she buried her head in her books to study. Residency was the final stage of her training, and that's how she was going to learn the ropes of the profession.

But all this dedication wasn't just because of her desire to learn; it was her attempt to keep thoughts of James from tormenting her heart.

It was already eight o'clock in the evening when Kate went to Sara's room. It was almost the end of her shift, and she liked to visit her mother-in-law around this time. If she stayed past her shift, it wouldn't be a problem; being with Sara wasn't like working for her.

“Dear Kate, how are you?” Sara asked, smiling, seeming cheerful despite the paleness of her skin.

“I'm doing very well, Sara. Today was a busy day. The patient in room 101, Mr. Ramirez, threw a fit to take a shower, can you believe it? The nurses had to call me because he wanted to file a complaint about them."

“I heard! That smelly, shameless old man is at it again. He probably wanted you to see that shriveled thing he has between his legs! Oh, if I could get out of here, I'd give that scoundrel a good slap! The nerve!”

Kate smiled at Sara's indignation, then sat down next to her and began combing her hair.

“Don't worry, he's not my type, Sara, you know!” Kate said with a playful wink.

“I know, my dear, I know… Speaking of your type, how is that good-for-nothing son of mine?”

“Oh, James…” Kate's mood suddenly shifted; she couldn't hide that she was furious with James. She took a deep breath and tried to force a smile, saying, “He's fine, seemingly very well, I think.”

“What is it, dear? Is he not treating you well? Is he not showing up in bed?”

Kate blushed at Sara's words and stood up, turning her back to hide her face.

“N-no, that's not it…”

“From what I can tell, he is showing up, isn't he, my dear? Thank God, I didn't raise a gay son!”

“Mrs. Sara! Watch your words, that's very rude!”

“Oh, my dear, I'm not prejudiced, but… it's just that I only had one son, and if he wasn't a man, how would he give me a grandchild? You know, a grandchild is all I want before I can rest in peace.”

Kate felt a lump in her throat. It was no secret that Mrs. Sara was stubborn. Medicine didn't have a cure for her condition, and Kate was certain that she was only still here because of the grandchild.

“I love you, Sara. And I will give you a grandchild. All my tests are good, I just don't know if James…”

“There's nothing wrong with my son, he's a stallion. When he was born, and I saw his little guy, I said, 'This boy is going to give me many grandchildren!' The problem is that he drinks. You have to tell him to stop drinking, dear.”

“Maybe so, Mrs. Sara…” Kate said, shrugging. Sara was a bit stubborn, and it was no use getting into a debate with her.

“No symptoms at all, dear?” Kate shook her head. “Your period isn't late?” Kate shook her head again. “Not even a little nausea?”

“No, Mrs. Sara, but that doesn't mean much, a woman may not have many symptoms in the…” At that moment, Kate opened a bottle of alcohol, and the smell hit her nostrils, causing a terrible wave of nausea to wash over her.

Kate placed a hand on her abdomen and tried to breathe calmly, already tasting the bitter bile rising in her throat.

She looked at Sara and saw the woman's eyes widen.

“Could that finally be a symptom?” Sara asked.

“Symptom of what?” James said, entering the room unexpectedly.

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