Chapter 5

A short while later, a nurse emerged from the exam room, her expression calmer than before.

"Alvar, she's stabilized. The allergic reaction is subsiding."

Alvar exhaled long and slow, as if a weight had lifted from his chest. "Thank you. When can she go home?"

"This afternoon, as long as there's no secondary reaction. For now, let her rest."

Alvar nodded. "All right."

He stepped out of the exam room and stood in the clinic corridor. A few nurses passing by whispered to each other, quiet but not quiet enough.

"That's Dr. Alvar's wife, right? From the city, they say..."

"No wonder she dresses like that — nothing like anyone around here."

Alvar turned. His gaze was sharp, cold, and loaded with warning. The two nurses fell silent instantly, exchanged a look, then pretended to busy themselves with their duties. Alvar didn't say a single word, but his stare was more than enough.

Before long, a female doctor approached. Her hair was pulled back neatly, her face composed and mature.

"Alvar."

He turned. "Dr. Hannah." He greeted her politely, respecting her position at the clinic.

Hannah offered a thin smile. "It's been a while."

They stood facing each other, an awkward pause hanging between them that didn't need explaining. High school classmates. Former lovers. Old memories that had never really been discussed again.

"How's she doing?" Hannah asked, all professional.

"Better. The reaction was severe, but we caught it in time," Alvar replied.

Hannah nodded. Then, as though hesitating, she asked, "That's... your wife, right? The one from the city."

Alvar stared straight ahead. "Yes. Kiara's my wife."

Hannah was quiet for a moment, then managed a small smile. "Congratulations."

She extended her hand. Alvar had just started to reach for it when --

"Doctor! Room two! Pregnant woman — she's bleeding!"

Hannah's face snapped taut. Without waiting for a reply, she pulled her hand back and rushed away.

"I need to get in there."

Alvar gave a brief nod, watching Hannah's retreating figure. No old feelings lingered — only one thought filled his mind now.

He returned to the exam room. Kiara lay with an IV drip attached, her face still pale but her breathing steady. Alvar stood beside the bed, studying her for a long time.

That afternoon, Kiara was finally cleared to leave. A nurse helped remove the IV from the back of her hand. Kiara winced, then breathed a small sigh of relief as the needle finally came free.

At the doorway of the treatment room, Alvar stood straight, hands shoved into his pockets. His face remained unreadable.

Before long, Dr. Hannah returned. A warm smile crossed her face as she greeted Alvar. The two of them talked briefly, standing closer than a simple doctor-patient's-family dynamic would warrant.

Kiara's expression hardened.

"Alvar, her allergy medication needs to be picked up now so she can take it at home," Hannah said.

Alvar nodded. "Wait here," he told Kiara, his tone clipped.

Without another word, Alvar and Hannah left together. Kiara watched their backs until they disappeared down the clinic corridor. Her chest felt strange — not the tightness of an allergic reaction, but something she didn't want to acknowledge.

A nurse who'd been tidying up medical equipment suddenly gave a small smile.

"Did you know, Miss Kiara? Dr. Hannah and Alvar are such a great match."

Kiara said nothing.

"They used to date," the nurse went on, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. "They only broke up because Dr. Hannah's family arranged a marriage for her. But Alvar was head over heels back then. Even now, you can still tell he's --"

"Enough," Kiara cut in, sharp as a blade.

She turned and looked at the nurse without a trace of a smile.

"I didn't ask, and I'm not interested in hearing about other people's lives."

The nurse went quiet, her face pinching with offense. Without another word, she walked out of the room, muttering under her breath, "Typical city woman... arrogant and rude."

Kiara let out an irritated breath, then turned her face to the window. That was when footsteps approached.

Alvar came back with a bag of medication in his hand. He stopped in the doorway. His brow furrowed as he caught the tail end of the nurse's muttering and the look of annoyance on Kiara's face.

Kiara hopped off the bed and walked out of the room without looking back, without a single word to Alvar. Her steps were quick, her chin lifted, as though the small clinic wasn't worth holding her a second longer.

Alvar followed behind, his jaw tight.

As they passed through the corridor, several nurses standing near the front desk whispered again — this time without bothering to lower their voices.

"Poor Alvar..."

"His wife's so rude and full of herself."

"Right? Totally different from Dr. Hannah. Pretty, gentle, and polite."

Kiara heard every word. Her lips curved into a thin, bitter smirk. She kept walking without turning around, as though those words were nothing more than dust in the air.

But Alvar stopped. He turned and fixed the two nurses with a stare so cold that the smiles vanished from their faces on the spot.

"Watch what you say," Alvar said, his voice low and firm. "She's my wife."

Both nurses fell silent, exchanging a glance, then bowed their heads. Neither dared to respond.

From the far end of the corridor, Dr. Hannah witnessed the whole thing. The folder in her hands loosened slightly. There was something in Alvar's face she had never seen before — protective, and certain.

Alvar turned and walked after Kiara, unaware that what he'd just done hadn't only silenced the gossip — it had closed a door to his past.

Inside the car, the air froze over.

Kiara leaned against the window, staring out without interest. Alvar started the engine, then glanced at his wife.

"You didn't need to act like that," he said at last.

Kiara let out a quiet, humorless laugh without looking at him. "Like what?"

"The way you treated them was too harsh --"

"They started it," Kiara cut in, her voice ice-cold. "Village people just love to gossip. Always sticking their noses into everyone else's business."

Alvar braked harder than necessary. He turned sharply to face her.

"Watch your mouth, Kiara."

She finally turned to meet his eyes, her gaze defiant.

"What? Did I hit a nerve?"

Alvar drew a long breath, fighting to hold his temper.

"This is my home. These are the people I live alongside every single day."

"And I'm not one of them," Kiara shot back. "I didn't ask to live in this village. I was forced."

The words hit harder than Kiara realized.

Alvar turned back to the road, his jaw locked tight.

"But you're my wife now. Like it or not, you're here under my name."

"If I had a choice, I wouldn't be your wife. I don't like you, and I don't want to live here. Honestly, we should just get a divorce — this marriage was wrong from the start," Kiara snapped.

Alvar's hands tightened on the steering wheel. His silence said everything — how deeply her words had cut. Even if this marriage hadn't begun with love, Alvar respected the commitment they'd made.

***This work has been signed with NovelToon, and piracy such as reprinting without permission is strictly prohibited.***

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***