CHAPTER 38
Jasper stood outside the residents’ lounge, flipping through lab results, his fingers restless. The unease inside him still hadn’t let go—an ugly, persistent knot he couldn't shake. A nurse stopped beside him and spoke quietly.
“Dr. Garth, the patient in room five is awake.”
He stiffened at once, forcing himself back to professional calm.
“Thank you. I’ll check on her later.”
What he actually wanted was to go there now. To see her with his own eyes. To make sure she was really okay. To find out what had happened.
But surgery was next. Duty first.
“Dr. Garth, are you coming?” the OR nurse called, snapping him out of it.
Jasper nodded, then stood there another second. He needed to pull himself together, get through the operation, and only then go to Nina. Right now the priority was clear—someone else’s life depended on him.
The surgery lasted nearly three hours. And the entire time, his mind kept drifting back to Nina.
As he stripped off his gloves, relief washed through him—the procedure had gone smoothly despite the chaos in his head. The team finished up and prepared to transfer the patient to ICU. Jasper left the OR and headed for the elevator.
He’d barely reached the door when it opened—and Frank Osborne stepped out.
Frank looked grim. He didn’t even bother to look up, clearly assuming Jasper was just another doctor on rounds.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Jasper snapped, blocking his path. That bastard had no business being here.
Frank lifted his gaze. Recognition flickered—then surprise. He looked Jasper over with thinly veiled contempt and a faint, smug smile.
“I could ask you the same thing,” he said evenly. “Though your reasons are a lot more interesting than mine.”
Jasper narrowed his eyes, irritation hot in his chest. Because of this man, he’d spent two weeks hiding his face behind a mask so he wouldn’t scare patients with bruises. And now he couldn’t even punch him properly—not the time, not the place.
“What the hell are you talking about?” he asked coolly.
Frank stepped closer, lowering his voice to a near whisper.
“Don’t play dumb,” he said softly, mockingly.
“You know exactly who she is, don’t you?
Is this some kind of thrill—keeping in touch with your victim after all these years?
Aren’t you worried all that shit might surface?
And does she even know who you are? Doubt it.
Otherwise she wouldn’t let you anywhere near her. ”
The words hit Jasper like a physical blow. His heart skipped.
Of course Frank knew. About the past. About Nina.
Jasper’s fingers tightened around the folder until the edges bent. He met Frank’s gaze, refusing to let anything show.
“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” he said flatly.
Frank gave a short, knowing chuckle, studying his face.
“Come on. You know exactly what I mean. You can play the hero all you want, Jasper, but we both know what you did to her. So drop the noble knight act. I saw you two leave the charity gala together. What kind of game are you running with my wife?”
Rage surged through Jasper, sharp and blinding. He held his control by a thread.
“You better stay the hell away from her,” he said coldly, meeting Frank’s eyes head-on.
Frank only smiled in disdain, adjusting the cuff of his suit.
“Gladly,” he said lightly. “But she’s still my wife. And as long as that’s true, you don’t belong anywhere near her.”
He turned and walked off, unhurried, leaving Jasper paralyzed in front of the closed hospital room door.
Anger throbbed in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug smile off Frank Osborne’s face.
He swore the day would come when he wiped that smirk off Frank's face.