Chapter 3
517words
From a hidden safe, I retrieved a thick, worn notebook.
This was all my father had left me.
Ten years ago, my father was the most prestigious cardiovascular surgeon at Central City Hospital. Julian Winters was his most valued and trusted protégé.
A meticulously planned "accident" turned what should have been a successful surgery into a fatal disaster.
All evidence—thanks to Julian's "unintentional mistake" and tearful testimony—pointed to my father.
The hospital sent my father home to await disciplinary action.
My father was too proud to bear the disgrace and too consumed by guilt toward the patient's family. He locked himself in his study for days without food or sleep until his heart finally gave out. They found him collapsed on the floor.
My mother, who loved him beyond reason, couldn't bear the loss. She jumped from our apartment building the following week.
I'll never forget how Julian held my hand at the funeral, crying more convincingly than anyone else.
"Sophia," he promised through his tears, "I'll clear your father's name. I swear it."
And later, he did—in his own way.
He found a convenient scapegoat, allowing the hospital to hastily close the case.
In the name of "honoring his mentor's legacy," he took over all my father's research projects and connections. From that point on, his career soared.
And I, crushed by grief, fled overseas.
Years later, I stumbled upon the truth.
By the time I set my sights on Julian Winters again, he had already become the youngest and most prestigious doctor in the city.
The gap between us was enormous. In a direct confrontation, I wouldn't stand a chance.
So I began to plan. Meticulously.
I spent a fortune on plastic surgery for a completely new face. Then, with my father's notes in hand, I returned home.
The notes detailed my father's entire medical career and the histories of every patient he'd treated—including numerous influential figures in politics and business.
At the end of the notebook were recorded secrets—powerful ones.
One page detailed how the current dean—then just a vice president—had threatened my father to cover up a family scandal that could have destroyed his career.
Armed with these notes, I returned to the city.
I tracked down the old dean and showed him the page that recorded his secret.
He stared at me—this stranger calling herself "Claire Shaw"—in stunned silence.
Finally, he whispered in disbelief, "You... you're..."
I cut him off. "Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is that now I'm Claire Shaw."
Eventually, he agreed to all my conditions.
He used his connections to fast-track me to director of the medical examination center.
And he personally arranged my marriage to his most promising protégé—Julian Winters.
He thought I merely wanted to escape my father's tainted legacy by changing my identity. He thought I just wanted to use Julian's influence to secure my position at the hospital.
But what he didn't know was that I never cared about my position.
I wanted to drag Julian Winters down from his pedestal and watch him break.
