The hospital felt different the next morning.
It did not feel heavy.
It felt like a place she had conquered.
Yvonne walked through the hallway with quiet confidence, nurses greeted her with respect, junior doctors looked at her with admiration, patients smiled when they saw her.
For years, this was the only world she knew.
The world she always felt happy, the world that brought her so much joy.
Now she was leaving it behind.
Not because she was pushed out.
Not because life forced her but because she finally chose herself and she was going to somewhere higher.
Her assistant hurried to her side.
"Doctor Carter, the staff wants to hold a small farewell meeting before you leave," she said softly.
Yvonne nodded
Alright," she answered gently.
They had only forty eight hours. Every second suddenly felt precious.
She still had shifts to finish, few cases to check, paperwork to complete, but the biggest work was happening inside her heart.
Letting go was never easy, but this time, it was not painful. This time, it was peaceful.
She stepped into the emergency room and it welcomed her like always.
Busy, loud, alive, her place, her pride.
Doctors rushed, nurses hurried, monitors beeped, calls echoed.
Yvonne loved this chaos, because inside this chaos, she had purpose.
Inside this chaos, she was not someone's abandoned wife.
She was Doctor Yvonne Carter.
Head of Emergency.
One of the best.
She looked around with a small smile.
Soon it would not be just the hospital anymore.
Soon the whole world would see her.
Far across the city, Adrian was not calm.
He had barely slept.
He had barely eaten.
His office was messy, files scattered, coffee untouched.
He kept hearing one thing from the board.
The project is overseas.
You must go.
You leave in two days.
Two days.
The same time Yvonne was preparing to leave for Zenith.
He did not know yet that their destination was the same.
But his heart already felt fear.
He was losing her.
He had begged her and she refused.
He had tried to talk to her and she walked away.
He had once taken her for granted but now he could not even reach her.
He felt bad and hurt.
This was how she must have felt all those years.
Waiting, hurting, holding on to nothing.
He deserved this.
He knew that.
Back in the hospital, the farewell room was filled.
Nurses.
Doctors.
Staff who worked with her for years.
They stood around her with warm smiles and soft hearts.
Aunty Lin spoke first.
"We watched you break once, Doctor Carter," she said gently. "We also watched you stand again. We are proud of you."
Her eyes softened.
Another nurse stepped forward with tears in her eyes.
"You taught us to be strong, you taught us that life does not stop because someone breaks your heart."
Someone laughed softly to lighten the moment.
"And you also taught us that no matter what happens, we must keep saving lives before anything else."
Everyone smiled.
A small cake was placed in front of her.
On it were simple words, "To The Woman Who Chose Herself"
Her chest tightened.
She did not cry out of pain.
She cried out of gratitude.
These people saw her when she was nothing.
They stood with her when her life fell apart.
They watched her rise again.
She took a slow breath and spoke.
"Thank you," she said softly. "Thank you for believing in me when I stopped believing in myself. Thank you for reminding me that I am more than a failed marriage. I will not forget any of you."
Claps filled the room.
Warmth wrapped around her heart.
For the first time in many years, she felt loved, truly loved. Not as someone's wife, not as someone's shadow but as herself
When she left the room, the hallway felt brighter.
Her steps were lighter, but even with this new strength, something still lingered deep inside.
A soft ache.
A quiet memory.
A name she did not want to think about.
Adrian.
He had come back.
He had begged.
He had said he regretted everything.
And a part of her still felt him.
Not as her husband, but as someone her heart once belonged to.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
She could not let that feeling stop her.
She could not go back.
Love alone was not enough anymore.
She deserved peace.
She deserved happiness.
She deserved herself.
Meanwhile, Adrian stood at the window of his office, he was starring at the city
He watched people move.
Cars pass.
Life continue.
Yet his world felt still.
Empty, cold and hurt.
For the first time, success did not matter.
Money meant nothing.
Power felt useless.
He would trade everything just to turn back time.
He remembered her smile.
He remembered her waiting with dinner.
He remembered her silent tears.
He remembered how he ignored all of it.
Now every memory stabbed him.
He finally understood that losing a good woman was not something a man ever recovered from easily.
He turned away sharply.
He needed to do something.
He could not stand still while she walked out of his life forever.
Even if she hated him.
Even if she never forgave him.
He still wanted to try.
He still wanted to fight.
For the first time, he was the one afraid of losing someone.
Night came quietly.
Yvonne walked out of the hospital entrance and stopped for a moment.
She looked back at the building.
Her second home.
Her place of strength.
Her place of healing.
Tomorrow would be preparation.
Next would be departure.
Her new journey was already waiting.
The taxi honked softly to pick her up.
She opened the door but paused.
A strange feeling passed through her chest.
Like someone was thinking about her.
Like somewhere, someone was watching her walk farther away.
She shook the thought away and entered the car.
She was not living her life for anyone anymore.
Not for love, not for regret just herself
The car drove away.
Few minutes later, Adrian arrived at the hospital.
He came looking for Yvonne, she was gone already.
He searched the entrance with tense eyes.
He asked the security guard.
He asked the nurse at reception.
They all gave the same answer.
She was gone.
He leaned on the wall and stood still for a long moment
He had missed her again.
He looked up at the hospital building.
This was the place she had grown strong.
This was the place she had learned to live without him.
He felt small standing there.
For the first time, he finally realized something.
She did not need him anymore but he needed her now
He clenched his hands slowly.
He would not give up.
Not yet.
Even if it hurt, even if she pushed him away
He would follow.
Not to drag her back but to prove something
That he was no longer the man who broke her.
That he was willing to fight this time.
The world was already turning their lives toward the same direction.
The same plane.
The same program.
The same battlefield.
But none of them knew yet.
Two hearts.
One filled with new strength.
One filled with deep regret.
Both heading toward the same future.
Fate was not done with them.
And the story between love and regret was only getting started again.
Yvonne stood in front of her mirror that night.
She looked at herself.
Confident.
Stronger.
Brighter.
She whispered softly.
"This time, I choose me."
Across the city, Adrian sat alone in the dark.
He whispered too.
"This time, I will not lose you."
Two voices.
Two promises.
Two different worlds.
Soon they would collide.
And when they did, nothing would ever be the same again.
Yvonne is leaving the country to start a new life.
Adrian is being sent to the same overseas project.
They do not know it yet
But their next meeting will not be calm, It will change everything.