Chapter 3

The next morning, Logan called me.

His voice was laced with panic: "Babe, a pipe burst in the master bath! The whole place is flooded, water everywhere, totally unlivable."

"I already called a contractor. I'll stay home to supervise the repairs. Why don't you crash at a hotel for a couple of days?"

I held the phone to my ear, looking at the security feed on my screen showing our dry, pristine hardwood floors.

"Sure. I have a string of major surgeries scheduled at the hospital anyway. Staying at a hotel nearby works out better for me," I agreed cheerfully.

The moment I hung up, I dialed a friend who ran a private security firm.

During the window when Logan went out to pick up Piper, I went home and had four pinhole cameras installed.

Zero blind spots. Full coverage.

That very evening, lounging on my hotel bed, I watched an absolute masterclass in trashiness on my iPad.

Piper was parading around our living room in my pure silk designer robe.

She was slathering my luxury face creams onto her skin and spraying my signature perfume until the air was thick with it.

"This old woman’s stuff is just overpriced. Nothing special about it at all."

Logan emerged from the bathroom, grabbed her around the waist, and the two of them tumbled onto my imported Italian leather sofa.

"Forget about her, baby. Once I get my hands on the money, this entire house belongs to you."

Staring at the screen, I calmly took screen grabs and saved the high-res video clips.

Enjoy yourselves while you can. The harder you laugh now, the harder you'll weep later.

The following day, I returned to the hospital.

I stepped into the staff locker room to change into my lab coat.

Piper was standing in front of the vanity mirror touching up her makeup, her locker door swung wide open.

Hanging inside were several scraps of lingerie—crimson, sheer black, completely see-through lace.

In the sterile, professional environment of a hospital locker room, they looked utterly repulsive.

Seeing me enter, she didn't bother hiding anything. Instead, she deliberately arched her chest forward.

"Dr. Lin, you're always so stiff and serious."

She applied her lipstick, smirking at my reflection in the glass. "Men like women who are soft and warm. No wonder Logan says being with you feels like lying next to a corpse."

"He told me that when he's with you, he can't even get it up."

She covered her mouth with a soft giggle, the spite in her eyes practically dripping onto the floor.

I happened to be holding a freshly brewed iced Americano.

Heavy ice. No sugar.

I walked over until I was standing inches away from her smug face.

With a flick of my wrist.

The entire cup of black, icy coffee splashed right over her pristine white lace dress.

The dark liquid seeped down her low-cut neckline, ice cubes bouncing off her chest and clattering onto the floor.

"AHHHH!"

Piper let out a shrill, ear-splitting scream, leaping backward.

"Chloe Lin! Are you out of your fucking mind?!"

I tossed the empty plastic cup into the trash can and pulled out a paper towel to wipe my fingers.

"Sober now?"

"This is a hospital. We save lives here. This isn't a brothel for you to peddle your cheap tricks."

"If you're that desperate for attention, take your whoring back to the red-light district."

Piper trembled with pure rage, tears instantly flooding her eyes.

"How dare you humiliate me like this! I'm reporting you to HR!"

The commotion quickly drew a crowd of nurses and doctors to the doorway.

Logan, who just happened to be at the hospital delivering tech contract files, came sprinting in when he heard the screams.

The sight of Piper sobbing like a bruised, helpless victim made his blood boil.

"Chloe Lin! What the hell are you doing?!"

Without asking a single question, he charged forward and violently shoved me.

I never expected him to lay hands on me in broad daylight. My heel slipped, and my lower back slammed hard against the sharp edge of the steel lockers.

A searing bolt of pain shot through my spine. I sucked in a sharp, ragged breath.

Logan pointed a finger inches from my nose, screaming, "Are you going through menopause or something?! Why are you taking your miserable anger out on a poor girl?!"

"Piper is so fragile! How could you be so cruel?!"

He stripped off his suit jacket, wrapped it tenderly around Piper's shoulders, and pulled her into his arms.

The surrounding staff started whispering and murmuring.

"Dr. Lin is usually so composed... why would she get physical?"

"Yeah, that new girl looks completely terrified."

Burrowed in Logan’s chest, Piper wailed even harder. "I just wanted to say good morning to Dr. Lin, and she... she just attacked me..."

The tide of opinion began to turn against me.

I gripped the edge of the locker to steady myself, enduring the throbbing pain in my spine as I glared at the two of them.

Logan, that single shove just destroyed your last chance at survival.