Chapter 1818

Karina heard Harley’s parting word, but she didn’t stop walking. She already had someone like Wilfred who dared to stand up against authority. She wasn’t alone in her fight. When she returned, Yvette bombarded her with questions about her visit to the association.
Karina chose to gloss over certain details, recounting only the less controversial parts. Even that left Yvette in awe.
“You actually turned them down? You really did? Gosh, I admire you!” Yvette exclaimed.
Karina swatted Yvette’s exaggerated thumbs-up. “Cut it out. I’m barely holding it together. I was so nervous.”
Yvette’s face twisted in mock disappointment. “You? Nervous? Where’s all that boss energy you walked in here with?”
“Boss energy? More like trembling cowardice,” Karina retorted with a wry smile. “I was barely holding my knees steady in there.”
“No wonder people used to bow down to authority back in the day,” she thought. Standing her ground in front of someone like Professor Zeller had been nearly impossible. Despite the calm facade she maintained, she had felt moments away from collapsing. The road to becoming the person she aspired to be still stretched long ahead.
*
That evening, Wilfred called, his timing impeccable, just as Karina finished her shift.
“How was work today?” Wilfred started the conversation with this straightforward question.
Karina balanced her phone between her ear and shoulder as she tidied her desk. “Busy, as usual. You know how hospitals are. Constant stream of patients.”
The number of patients every day was endless. Especially here, where the shortage of surgeons meant Karina was often pulled into the OR whenever they discovered she could manage both internal medicine and surgery. She felt like a spinning top, constantly on the move.
A soft chuckle drifted through the line, so faint she thought she imagined it.
Karina paused, confused. “Wait… Did you just laugh?”
She couldn’t believe it was Wilfred. It didn’t seem like something he would do. She was ready to chalk it up to someone on his end of the line.
Then, after a brief pause, there it was again a low laugh. This time, Wilfred spoke, his tone carrying a trace of humor. “It’s me, not anyone else.”
Karina’s cheeks instantly flushed.
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The sound of his quiet laughter echoed in her mind, sparking unbidder images of him, phone hand, smiling in amusement. Realizing her silence was stretching too long, she quickly found a topic to change the subject.
“Oh, by the way, I went to the association today. Professor Zeller invited me to join, but I turned him down.”
On the other end, Wilfred paused mid-step. He was walking through the hospital; a white coat draped over his shoulders and a file under his arm. His typically composed expression tightened, taking on a sharper edge.
A colleague passed by and greeted him. “Good evening, Dr. Wilfred.”
Wilfred didn’t respond, his focus entirely on the conversation. “And after that? What happened?” he asked, his voice low.
“They said a few things to try and scare me,” Karina replied casually. “I ignored them. Nothing serious.”
Her tone was light, almost
dismissive. To her, the matter was resolved. With Wilfred’s promise to write her recommendation letter, she felt secure. The association wouldn’t resort to anything drastic. It was a lawful society, after all. What could they really do?
But Wilfred knew better. Even without reading her thoughts, he could hear her naivety in the ease of her tone.
“They’re not as straightforward as you think,” he warned. Then, after a beat, he added, “By the way, the situation with your family has been resolved. Would you like to transfer back here?”
The transfer had been arranged to get her away from the troubles with her family. Now that the Stone family issue was resolved, she could technically stay where she was.
But now, there was another looming threat.
Wilfred couldn’t feel at ease unless she was somewhere he could keep an eye on her.
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