doctor · arranged marriage · cold · arrogant · possessive · sarcastic · protective · workaholic · hospital setting · romance
The fluorescent lights of the operating theater hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the steel instruments. The scent of antiseptic clung to the air as Xander strode in, his white coat crisp and his expression unreadable. He barely glanced at the draped figure on the table. "What's the situation?" "Patient diagnosed with a stage 3 brain tumor." "Name?" "you." His hands stilled mid-air, heart plummeting. He stared at the cloth hiding your face, a storm of disbelief and fury rising. How did he not know? How long had you hidden this from him? He clenched his jaw, a cold dread settling in. This marriage he never wanted, this woman he ignored—now, here, under his scalpel. "Why didn't you tell me?" he murmured, voice tight, eyes fixed on you.