I went to pick up my wedding dress, only to find the new nurse, Daphne, trying one on too. The man kneeling on one knee to help her put on her shoes was Nathan, my boyfriend of seven years. He stood up and turned around. Our eyes met. There wasn't a trace of panic on his face. Instead, Daphne smiled and asked me, "Dr. Hart, would you like to be my bridesmaid?" I shook my head. "Can't. I'm in mourning." "My fiancé just died. He's not even cold yet." 1 I pushed open the door and immediately saw Daphne, beaming with joy, wearing a puffy wedding gown. Her hand rested on the shoulder of the man kneeling before her, watching him carefully help her with her shoes. Even from the back, I recognized him. Nathan. My boyfriend of seven years. He was wearing the pink checkered shirt I had taken out of the closet and handed to him this morning. A few hours ago, I asked him if he had time. He hastily kissed my cheek, his tone full of apology. "Harper, can we do it another day? An emergency surgery got added to my schedule." As a fellow doctor, I understood the demands of the job. I didn't say anything, just urged him to get to the hospital. Now I see. The "emergency surgery" added to his schedule was Daphne, with her dimpled smile. She obviously saw me. Her lips curled up, her expression full of triumph. No one at the hospital knew about my relationship with Nathan. About two weeks ago, Daphne accidentally saw a photo in my gallery. During a break, she came over to chat. "I was wondering what kind of man could match Dr. Hart. No wonder." She added, "If any man treated me half as well as Dr. Chen treats you, I'd die of happiness." I changed the subject casually, but suspicion grew in my heart. I didn't understand where she got the idea that he treated me well. A couple of days later, a joke from a nurse in our department made me realize something. "The new girl, Daphne, calls everyone 'bro,' but she only calls Nathan 'Nathan.' One word difference, think about it." I blame myself for not looking into it sooner, leading to today's awkward situation. "All done, let me see." Nathan clapped his hands, stood up, and turned sideways. Our eyes met. He froze for a second, his thin lips pressing into a tight line. His expression remained calm, as if he had expected this day would come eventually. Daphne glanced at him, her smile unwavering, and reached out to link her arm with his. "What a coincidence, Dr. Hart." Coincidence? I remembered she had asked me not long ago when I planned to get married. She even recommended this bridal shop. Because I saw the ring box in Nathan's coat pocket, I secretly ordered a wedding dress, thinking I'd surprise him and tell him I was ready too. It turned out the person he wanted to marry wasn't me. 2 My heart felt like it was being pierced by thousands of needles. I dug my nails into my palm to stop myself from crying on the spot. Daphne suddenly smiled and asked, "Dr. Hart, would you like to be my bridesmaid?" Before she finished, Nathan looked at me too, frowning slightly. Before I could speak, he said quietly, "Dr. Hart is so busy, where would she find the time? Stop teasing." Hearing the hint of complaint in his tone, my heart spasmed again. From med school to residency, over seven years, we both became busier and busier. Dates for normal couples were always replaced by surgeries and emergencies. Six months ago, I got promoted. Nathan seemed to hold a grudge, working even harder than before, writing papers and performing high-difficulty surgeries without missing a beat. In med school, we were top competitors. I knew he hated losing. Last time his parents called to urge us to get married, he said he was too busy to get away. So when I saw the ring box in his jacket, I thought he was secretly planning something and felt touched for a long time. I ordered the dress myself, planning to surprise him on our seventh anniversary. Seeing I hadn't spoken for a long time, Daphne asked again, "Dr. Hart?" I glanced at her. "Dr. Hart, we have a deal, okay? You be my bridesmaid, maybe some of my luck will rub off on you." I shook my head. "Can't. I'm in mourning." Nathan smirked slightly, looking at me. He knew my parents were alive and well. I sneered. "My fiancé just died. He's not even cold yet." Nathan's face darkened, his lips pressed tight. The shop assistant, who was happily carrying my wedding dress out, heard this and froze in her tracks, dumbfounded. 3 This might be the biggest crisis she had encountered in her career. The assistant looked at me hesitantly. "Would you like to try it on?" I shook my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nathan staring at the tulle peeking out of the bag. I remembered the year we graduated from med school. He pointed at a wedding dress in a window and asked me when I would marry him. "Tomorrow?" I teased him with a smile. The light in his eyes instantly shone like stars in a dark night, then quickly dimmed. "Harper, I don't want you to suffer. I want to give you everything others have." His parents both got cancer one after another. Treatment costs had left his family deep in debt. The burden on his shoulders was heavy. That wasn't a suitable time to discuss marriage. Later, we interviewed at the hospital together. The Chief of Surgery asked him casually, "Young man, do you have a girlfriend?" He answered quickly, "No, I'm still single." Standing next to him, I froze on the spot. But he explained later. "Dr. Zhao intends to cultivate new doctors. I just didn't want him to worry that dating would distract me from work." Although I felt uncomfortable, I didn't say much more. He had his considerations and worries. I wanted to try to understand. Not going public at the beginning might have had a reason, but later it seemed unnecessary to go public. Every time I brought it up, he would smile and kiss my forehead. "Just send them invitations when we get married." "If we go public now, a bunch of people will ask questions." He was afraid of trouble, so I comforted myself that he just didn't want people to pay too much attention to his private life. In the past, he helped me blow-dry my hair, ate fast food with me, and would always tell me when we parted ways at the intersection. "Wait a bit longer, I'm going to marry you soon." Since he suddenly took back the salary card he let me keep over half a month ago, he hadn't said it again. Now I know why he said he had a big matter to deal with. A big life event indeed. My fiancé was going to marry someone else, and I wasn't even deemed necessary to be informed. 3 I carried the wedding dress out. When I reached the intersection, I looked back. Nathan didn't chase after me. Our chat history stopped many days ago. I asked him what time he would be back, and he replied with two words: [Busy.] Clicking into his profile, his feed was just a line. I didn't know when he blocked me. I called to cancel the restaurant reservation, threw the wedding dress in the car, and rushed back to work. The department director was a bit surprised to see me. "You stayed up for several nights to apply for a day off, and you're back after half a day?" Perhaps seeing my face looked bad, he asked if something happened. Explaining a secret relationship and being cheated on was too troublesome, so I just said I didn't sleep well. He excitedly pulled me aside. "Then let's gossip." The more you don't want to hear a name, the more it comes up. The director whispered mysteriously, "Nathan hooked up with a little nurse from their department. People caught them several times, staying in the office for half a day. The nurse came out adjusting her clothes. Bold." He looked me up and down, looking disappointed. "I was thinking of setting you two up before. Classmates and colleagues, knowing each other well. Nathan is confused." I couldn't smile. "Not really suitable, right?" The director added that Daphne said she wanted to marry a doctor as soon as she joined the hospital. Someone in the hospital even made a list to see which unlucky guy would be conquered. "You know how hard it is to get into our hospital, right? She got in right after graduation. Heard she has a good dad." This reminded me of the nurses in the department mocking her every time she was mentioned. "Never heard of her working a night shift. Having a shareholder for a backer is incomparable." I guess Nathan heard these words too. When I got home after work, all his things in the room were gone. A key was left on the table, with a note pressed under it. The handwriting that copied notes for me and wrote love letters to me was still neat. [Deep affection cannot defeat time. Consider it my debt to you.] Seven years of time, summarized in one stroke. I casually tapped redial on a string of missed calls. It connected quickly. "The exchange study you mentioned last time, I want to go." The voice on the other end said okay repeatedly. I didn't say anything else and hung up directly. I think Nathan's recent active performance and urgency to marry Daphne were mostly for this matter. A few months ago, there were rumors that the hospital would cooperate with a high-end overseas research institute and send one person for exchange study. Returning meant doubling one's value, not to mention the vacant Deputy Director position was reserved for this person. Looking down at Daphne's official announcement on her feed, I felt much better. [Just right, describing today.] The picture showed two tightly clasped hands. I recognized the one with distinct knuckles. 4 A few days later, I saw wedding candy bags right after surgery. Daphne seemed to have been waiting for me for a long time, greeting me excitedly with a smug smile. "Dr. Hart, I'm personally delivering wedding candy to you. Will you do me the honor?" I changed out of my white coat and glanced at her. "There's no one else here, what are you pretending for? Are we close?" Her smile froze on her face, and her eyes turned cold. "The one not loved is the extra one. Dr. Hart, I pity you. He never admitted your relationship, but he announced it immediately with me. Can't you see the difference between loving and not loving?" I pulled out a chair and sat down, laughing. "Something so easily pried away, what's there to pity? As for loving or not, you know best. I wish you two locked together for life." Her face paled. "Before marriage, he can choose someone more suitable. If you were abandoned, think about where you fell short." My smile deepened unconsciously. "Thanks for the advice. I won't go to the wedding. We have no friendship, so I'll save the gift money." I raised my hand to signal her to leave instead of slapping her. I think I have good self-control. I guess they were eager to announce this relationship. Everyone in the hospital received invitations and candy. Otherwise, my phone wouldn't stop ringing. Some people were angry on my behalf, so in the afternoon, another notice appeared on the hospital bulletin board. The candidate selected for overseas exchange study has been confirmed. My photo was prominently displayed. It was taken by Nathan in the past.
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