Chapter 37

Adam wanted to meet Dr. C. His face darkened slightly at her absence after so long.

Tracy checked the time. "Mr. Alvarez," she said, "something must have come up on Dr. C's side. No one knows what she's been doing for the past three years since her disappearance." Dr. C vanished for three years—a major mystery for the nation's medical community. No one knew why.

Orline listened quietly.

"Mr. Alvarez," Celine thought, "I arrived on time. You've seen me. Carly, Tracy, and Melody are all witnesses."

Adam's gloom remained. Tracy said, "Mr. Alvarez, let me give Carly a checkup first."

Twenty minutes later, after completing the checkup, Tracy and Adam stood by the door. Tracy, looking professional in her white silk blouse and black skirt, glanced at Adam. "Mr. Alvarez," she said, "my preliminary diagnosis is that Carly has an atrial septal defect and an unclosed ductus arteriosus. This is causing her heart condition, which is treatable with surgery."

"Are there any surgical risks?" Adam asked.

Tracy smiled. "It depends on the surgical plan. Let's exchange numbers to discuss it further."

She took out her phone. Celine, having observed everything, noticed a hint of uncertainty in Tracy's eyes, suggesting her true intention wasn't solely to treat Carly. Adam seemed to have captivated both Carly and Tracy.

Before Adam could respond, Celine's voice cut through the air. "It's not a defect; it's congenital heart disease," she stated.

Tracy froze, then looked at Celine. Adam also gazed at her. Celine stood quietly before them, staring at Adam. "Stop wasting time," she said. "Find her a suitable heart donor. She needs a transplant."

Tracy's face fell. "Don't talk nonsense!" she yelled. "How dare you doubt me? Do you even know how to treat a patient?"

Adam looked at Celine, her elegant hair pulled back behind her ears. "Mr. Alvarez," she said, "I've told you what I know. Whether you believe me is your concern."

Celine turned and left. Tracy was furious. Celine had dropped out of school at sixteen. How dare she question Tracy's medical skills?

"Mr. Alvarez," Tracy seethed, "you mustn't take her words seriously!"

Celine, leaving the hospital, stopped abruptly. Carly was waiting.

"Celine," Carly said, "I heard Mrs. Alvarez Senior has your back. That's why you and Adam can't get a divorce." Carly sniggered. "As a woman, I sympathize. Adam doesn't love you. You're pathetic, resorting to pleasing Mrs. Alvarez Senior."

Celine saw the scorn in Carly's eyes. "You're the pathetic one," Celine replied, a slight smile playing on her lips. "If I can't get a divorce, you remain Adam's mistress. Look at you, freaking out."

"You—" Carly clenched her hands, then smiled. "Do you think everything will be fine because Mrs. Alvarez Senior has your back? Just wait, Celine. I'll teach you a lesson."

She stormed off. Celine frowned, wondering what Carly would do.

Then, Melody's frantic voice echoed, "Adam! This is awful!" What had happened?