Chapter 1My Boyfriend Shielded Me from a Lab Fire and Lost a Layer of Skin. So I Broke Up With Him.

On the day we broke up, I deliberately poked right at his deepest wound.

"Every time I look at those hands, it makes me sick to my stomach."

Years later, he became my father's attending physician.

Before discussing the medical chart, he looked at me with chilling indifference and asked:

"Ms. Davis, my hands won't cause you any physiological discomfort, will they?"

* * *

Yesterday, a friend called and told me there might be hope for my dad's condition.

Their hospital had just hired a Dr. Sterling, who recently returned from studying abroad. His exact area of research was my dad's rare disease.

But I never in a million years expected Dr. Sterling to be Liam Sterling.

"Dr. Sterling is so handsome! If his hands hadn't been burned, he'd be absolutely perfect."

"I heard from Dr. Miller that his ex-girlfriend caused it. And the worst part? She dumped him because of the scars."

"Ew, seriously? That's so disgusting."

Passing by the nurse's station, I overheard several nurses gossiping while prepping IV bags.

My footsteps faltered for a second, but I kept walking down the hall.

With every step closer to that office door, my heart beat faster and faster. Thump, thump, thump.

When my hand finally rested on the doorknob, I couldn't stop trembling.

But the moment I saw that familiar silhouette, everything went completely quiet.

The man in the white coat heard the door open, stopped writing, and looked up.

When our eyes met, my heart stopped.

My entire body went rigid.

Honestly, I had already mentally prepared myself for Liam's mockery and scorn.

Because—

I was that disgusting, vile ex-girlfriend.