Chapter 4

Jennifer's POV

Sierra immediately teared up.

William slammed his fist on the table and snapped, "What the hell are you talking about? We signed a three-year lease. Now, you're telling me you're moving out?"

I remained unfazed.

"I heard the voice message last night, William. We're all adults here, so please don't treat me like an idiot. If you believe that taking care of her is your top priority, then let's stop wasting each other's time."

William was fuming.

"Jennifer Sutton! Can you stop being so unreasonable? I told you I dropped the watch by accident! Why do you have to be so harsh?" he barked.

Sierra began to cry. Her shoulders shook with every sob as she said, "This is all my fault, Jennifer. I shouldn't have come here to use your bathroom. I didn't know you'd be so bothered by it."

After a brief pause, she cried, "I'm leaving right away! My apartment has no water or electricity, but I'm going to go back home anyway. Even if I end up dying out there, I won't inconvenience the both of you in any way…"

As she spoke, she took off the apron and turned to leave.

William grabbed her by the arm and turned toward me.

"You're completely unreasonable, Jennifer!" he screamed at me. "She's a disaster victim—and the sister of a rescue worker who died in the line of duty!"

He continued, "You're a doctor. How can you be so cruel? If you can't stand having her here, then we'll both leave! You can stay here and have this apartment all to yourself!"

"Sure," I replied with a nod.

William froze for a brief moment before he shot me a furious glare. Then, he aggressively opened the front door and left with Sierra.

…

Over the next couple of days, I took some time off work and began packing my belongings. The lease termination went smoothly as well.

The night before I was due to leave, one of my colleagues from the emergency department, Lily Hayes, video-called me.

Lily was in the city's largest luxury shopping mall. Through her phone camera, I saw William and Sierra in a women's clothing store.

Sierra's arms were laden with shopping bags from various luxury brands. She had a bright smile on her face as William helped her pick out a dress. His gaze was full of unmistakable affection as he looked at her.

Furious, Lily lowered her voice and spat, "Look at this bastard, Jennifer. You stayed by his side for three whole days while he was seriously injured during a rescue operation. You even used up all your savings to buy him supplements!

"Now, he's using the allowance he receives as a rescue team captain to buy designer clothes for some homewrecker! Has he forgotten who saved him when he nearly died in those ruins?"

In the background, Sierra seemed to have noticed that someone was filming her. She deliberately draped an arm over William's shoulder and flashed the camera a taunting smile.

All of a sudden, the camera jerked violently. William had snatched Lily's phone away from her.

"You're a coward, Jennifer! If you've got something to say to me, say it to my face instead of getting someone else to gossip about me!" he barked through the phone.

"Sierra injured her foot. I only brought her here to get her a pair of flats! All you do is get someone else to follow me around every day. Don't you find your behavior disgusting? Stay at home and don't go anywhere. We'll settle this tomorrow once I get home!"

Lily yanked her phone away from him and immediately yelled, "William, you ungrateful bastard! You and that little homewrecker should just go to hell!"

Subsequently, she hung up.

I let out a deep breath. Afterward, I turned off the lights and closed my eyes.

…

The next morning, the movers arrived at my apartment at the scheduled time.

I had all of my belongings shipped to the clinic in the western mountain region. Then, carrying only a backpack, I locked the door of the apartment I had lived in for the past three years.

While I was on the way to the train station, I received another call from William. But instead of picking up, I declined the call and blocked him on every social media platform.

…

After a full day on the train, I finally arrived at a remote station.

With my backpack on my shoulders, I climbed into an old truck that was used to transport patients from the village.

The vehicle lurched and rattled as we made our way toward the clinic located deep in the mountains.

The conditions here were even harsher than I had imagined. The clinic's walls were made of dirt, and its windows were made of wood. The air was thick with the scent of herbal medicine and damp earth.

The head of the village, Mr. Samuel Wright, was a local mason in his 60s. His skin was dark and weathered, and he had a mouthful of pearly-white teeth.

"Dr. Sutton! You're finally here!" he exclaimed warmly. "Our village is rather poor. You're a doctor from a big city. I'm sorry to have to put you through this."

Mr. Wright eagerly helped me with my backpack.

Before I could say anything, a loudspeaker mounted on the clinic wall suddenly emitted a shrill noise.

The speaker was connected to the village committee office's phone line.

Looking slightly puzzled, Mr. Wright walked over to the office desk and picked up the phone. After putting the call on speakerphone, he asked, "Hello? Who's calling? I'm the head of this village."

Suddenly, William's frantic voice filled the air.

"Is Jennifer Sutton there? I'm her fiance, William Quentin! Put her on the phone!"