Chapter 2

One thing that infuriated Kate was when James tried to interfere with her professional life. She couldn't understand why he'd suddenly become so bothered by her residency at Santa Maria Hospital.

Actually, she did know. It started after he met Edward, the hospital's chief surgeon, with whom Kate had a sibling-like bond.

She didn't believe James acted this way out of jealousy — it was spite. To her, he was a spoiled playboy who saw her as a little toy no one else was allowed to touch.

Kate didn't believe there was any love in this marriage, since the only times they talked or interacted was when they were in bed.

She was convinced that James — a billionaire, owner of one of the most famous sports car brands, famous and handsome — would never publicly acknowledge his relationship with an orphaned medical student.

That's right. Despite being married for three years, very few people knew about the marriage. James kept appearing in gossip-page photos as a bachelor, surrounded by women desperate for his attention.

And while he was out partying, Kate was at the hospital, caring for patients.

So how did she end up in this marriage? Well, it all started with one of the hospital's patients — Sara Weyland.

Sara was James's mother, a patient with a terminal illness. She was so debilitated that all the hospital doctors could do was provide palliative care to extend her life a little longer.

Kate had always treated patients with great warmth and dedication, and from the moment she met Sara, the two shared an inexplicable connection.

Kate had never known her parents, and Sara, despite her illness, was a cheerful, affectionate woman — especially toward Kate.

She remembered Kate's birthday and encouraged her studies. She quickly became a mother figure to Kate, who found in her a taste of something she'd never had — a mother's love.

Sara's dream was that before she died, she could see her son married to a good woman and that he would give her a grandchild. That was all she wanted.

But James refused relentlessly. He didn't want children and was even willing to marry his ex-girlfriend, Miranda. Sara, however, didn't like Miranda and suggested he marry Kate instead, for whom she had the highest regard.

James couldn't refuse, because his mother owned half the shares of the automobile company, and she blackmailed him — telling him that if he didn't marry Kate, she'd donate her shares to a charity.

Kate accepted because she'd developed an unusual attachment to Sara, almost an emotional dependency, and she knew Sara's days were numbered. She figured the marriage wouldn't last long.

But it lasted three long years — three long years that Sara fought to stay alive, all because she held out hope of seeing Kate pregnant.

Sara convinced Kate to try getting pregnant without James knowing, since he'd been absolutely inflexible about refusing to grant a dying mother's wish. Kate agreed to the plan.

Having a child was Kate's dream — to give a child everything she never had. She'd already been considering single motherhood, so Sara's plan aligned perfectly with her own ideas. If the father didn't want the baby, she'd raise the child on her own, just as she'd planned.

And so, for three years, Kate had been trying to get pregnant. It hadn't been hard to get things going with James, which was exactly why she considered him a womanizer. How could a man who seemed to despise her pounce on her at the first attempt at seduction? He was worthless, according to Kate. But she wasn't as tough as she pretended. Her heart was starved for love, and it wasn't long before she fell for James.

Because of that feeling, after leaving the house and standing at the intersection waiting for the light to turn green, Kate felt a tightness in her chest.

A powerful wave of regret washed over her. She kept replaying the words she'd said. It wasn't true that she didn't care what he did outside the house, especially at parties. Every single time she saw photos of him surrounded by women, she was consumed by jealousy.

Yes, he wasn't her real husband — but he could be. She wondered if they should have a real conversation about feelings, about their future. A conversation about the possibility of making this relationship real, after Sara was gone.

Kate glanced at herself in the rearview mirror. She was always in scrubs, her nails always trimmed short, her face bare. She didn't wear makeup or provocative clothes like the women who threw themselves at James. Still, she knew she was an attractive woman — he proved it himself every time he couldn't resist throwing her into bed the moment he saw her.

Kate thought that maybe the reason he wouldn't claim her publicly was her social status — her being apparently an orphan on scholarship. But that was the version of the story she'd told everyone. She really was an orphan, but her financial and social standing was far greater than anyone imagined.

With that thought, Kate decided against going to the hospital. She turned around and drove back to the Weyland mansion. She hoped to find James still in bed and pick up where they'd left off.

Three years into this marriage, and she thought that maybe — just maybe — he had some feelings for her too.

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