They dragged her out and threw her to the floor.
"Ahh!" she cried out as her body hit the harsh ground.
With a shaky sigh, she sat up and stared at the marriage certificate in her hands, tears slipping down her cheeks. How was she supposed to explain to her fiancé that she was married? To someone who didn't even know her? If she couldn't make Roman believe her, she stood to lose not only her job, but him too. How had everything spiraled this quickly?
Just then, her phone rang. She reached for her bag and pulled it out.
Caller: Fiancé.
Her hands trembled as she stared at the screen, unsure whether to answer. It was the second day, and she already felt guilty for ignoring his calls. What if he thought she had abandoned him altogether? No, she needed to fix this. She had to find a way to get Roman to listen.
Then it hit her, she worked here. She was a cardiologist. That patient earlier had seemed important to him. Maybe she could use that to get closer to him. Rising to her feet, she brushed herself off and headed back toward the reception.
Once there, she showed her letter of employment to the receptionist. She was signed in quickly and handed a doctor's access card. She was also an excellent surgeon, but for now, she would be a cardiologist in order to be able to get closer to Roman.
"So, how did it go?" A voice asked beside her, startling her.
"Don't do that," Patricia scolded, pouting slightly.
Zara burst into laughter. That was what she loved most about Patricia, she was too cute not to tease. Just staring at her would make you want to tease her.
"He didn't believe me. Thinks I am just another desperate woman," Patricia said with a defeated sigh and Zara's smile faded.
"I mean… I might have thought the same. But it's only the first attempt. Time for Plan B. So, what's Plan B?" Maurice asked.
"I saved a patient important to him today. I will get closer to him using that," she replied, holding up the access card. Zara rolled her eyes at how boring plan B was.
"If you keep playing nice, he's never going to take you seriously. We have tried your way. Now we try mine," Zara said, flashing a mischievous grin.
That look made Patricia uneasy. She knew Zara better than she knew herself and that grin never meant anything simple. Whatever her friend was planning, she probably wasn't ready for it.
"I don't think we should. If I suddenly show up in front of him again, I could get fired," she said, clearly hesitant.
"You are on the verge of losing both your job and your fiancé. Do you really want that? Just follow my lead. Trust me," Zara urged. Patricia only nodded, unsure but unwilling to argue.
"Ahh…" Patricia suddenly winced, one hand flying to her stomach.
"What is it? Did he hurt you? What happened?!" Zara's protective instincts kicked in instantly and she began bombarding her with questions.
"It's just a stomach upset," Patricia said quickly, grabbing her wrist to calm her. "Don't make a scene."
Zara sighed in relief. "Aigoo, how can a doctor be this careless about her own health?" She muttered, clicking her tongue.
Patricia managed a smile. Zara had always been like this, ever since their university days, constantly nagging her to take better care of herself. Some things really never change. But it seems life didn't hate her completely after all, they gave her someone to represent her mother.
"Let's go. I will take you to my office," Patricia said, and the two of them walked off together.
Later that day, her co-workers informed her she could leave early, since it was her first shift. Thankfully, she wasn't in the mood to stay late anyway and was relieved to be dismissed without needing to ask.
After checking out of the hospital, Patricia and Zara sat in the car, waiting for someone involved in Zara's mysterious plan.
"It's 7 p.m. Who exactly are we waiting for?" Patricia asked, her patience wearing thin. Her stomach had been bothering her all day, and though she suspected what it might be, every time she checked, it wasn't. Still, the unease wouldn't leave her, and all she wanted now was to get home and rest.
"Relax. You can't go back home anyway, and you would only get punished again for coming back late. So why stress?" Zara said, rolling her eyes at Patricia's anxiety. She never understood how Patricia still feared her stepmother and grandmother, even after all the years of enduring their abuse. For someone who knew exactly what awaited her, she treated it like a sacred consequence.
"I am not worried about them. I just don't feel…" Patricia began, but Zara suddenly cut her off.
"He's out!" She exclaimed, quickly slipping into the driver's seat and fastening her seatbelt.
"Who is?" Patricia asked, frowning as she turned in the direction Zara was staring. Her eyes widened the moment she saw him…Roman!
"You are not planning to follow him home, are you?" She asked, already guessing Zara's intentions but hoping she was wrong.
"Of course not. We are just driving," Zara said with a sly smile as she started the engine.
"No, no. We can't do this. If we get caught, it will be considered stalking and we could be arrested. There has to be another way," Patricia said, panic creeping into her voice. Her eyes welled with anxiety, and the sight made Zara sigh and shut off the engine.
Turning to her with a firm expression, Zara said, "Can you afford to lose both your fiancé and your job? If you lose this job, your fiancé might help you get another one with his connections. But if you lose him, you will be stuck in that house, waiting for a 'better man'…or worse, forced into a miserable marriage arranged by your stepmother. Which one sounds worse?"
Patricia started to protest. "But…"
Zara cut her off with a hiss. "I know you don't want help through connections, but this world doesn't reward fairness. You are good at what you do. If you are competent, then it's not about connection, it's about giving you the chance you already deserve."
Patricia took a deep breath, lowering her gaze to the message from her fiancé glowing on her phone screen. She stared at it for a moment, then nodded.
"Let's do it," she said quietly.
Zara restarted the engine, and they drove off into the night.