Chapter 1 She Was Just His Bed Partner

[Yvette, big news! Violet is back!]

The message from her close friend, Sylvia Evans, left Yvette Orlando in a daze.

Violet Swift was Albert Valdemar's first love.

Albert was with Yvette at that moment. He had just finished his shower and walked out of the bathroom with a towel draped around his waist. Yvette quickly put away her phone, afraid he might see what she was looking at.

Albert's body carried the same scent of shower gel as hers. He had a wheatish complexion and a well-built physique. Once in bed, he wasted no time, needing little finesse to captivate her. Their bodies fit together perfectly.

In the morning, Yvette woke up feeling thirsty, her body aching as if it had been crushed. Sensing the emptiness on the other side of the bed, she turned to see Albert getting dressed.

"Are you leaving?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied.

The warm light in the hotel room outlined his distant figure. Yvette quietly watched him dress, saying nothing to make him stay. She knew very well that she was just his companion in bed.

It had been two years since Albert started coming back to Luken, always seeking her out for their routine: dinner, a movie, and then bed. Sometimes, they skipped the first two steps and went straight to the last.

She had only seen his passionate side in bed.

"The gift is on the table," he said, his last words to her.

He turned and left, the door closing softly with a click.

Yvette opened the gift from Albert, a delicately packaged perfume, but it made her furrow her brows. He had given her the same perfume three times, a clear sign of his indifference towards her.

At that moment, Yvette made up her mind. She took out her phone and found Albert's profile on Instagram, the contact she had labeled with a dot. After much contemplation, she typed a few words: [Let's not meet again.]

As she looked at the message that had been sent, Yvette's grip on her phone tightened. After a while, Albert replied with just one word: [Okay.]

Albert's response was like the striking of the midnight clock in a fairy tale, awakening the fake princess in her fake crystal shoes. Yvette couldn't help but mock herself, 'What was I expecting?'

Albert was the youngest captain at North Airlines' Luken branch, handsome and well-off, a prince charming to all the young women in the company. Yvette was just one of the many "young women" at the medical center of the Luken branch.

Not even Sylvia knew about her and Albert's relationship. Yvette didn't know how to tell Sylvia, but now it didn't matter. She didn't have to say anything at all.

A week later, as it was almost time to finish work, there were no patients in Yvette's office. She sat at the computer, writing medical records, when Sylvia suddenly rushed in.

"Yvette! Albert is here!"

As Sylvia blinked and gestured, a tall figure pushed open the door. He was wearing a neat uniform and looked exceptionally outstanding.

Yvette instinctively looked up and met his deep blue eyes. He remained expressionless, but in that instant, a hint of surprise flickered in his eyes. After just a second or two, their restrained gazes calmly moved away from each other's faces.

Albert's face carried an invisible sense of detachment and coldness, as if a thick and hazy fog separated him from the rest of the world.

At that moment, Violet emerged from behind him and sat directly across from Yvette.

"I just had a minor injury, but you insisted on bringing me to see a doctor. I've had much worse injuries in aviation school; I could have just treated myself."

Violet had a gentle name, but she was a decisive woman. She was dressed in a pilot's uniform, looking bright and brave. Recently, she became quite famous in the company as the first female pilot in the history of the Luken branch.

"Hello, Dr. Orlando," Violet said as she extended her injured hand.

Albert remained silent for a moment and said to Yvette, "She has a scratch on her hand."

"I see."

Yvette no longer looked at Albert but focused on dressing Violet's wound. Pilots were not allowed to have significant injuries, and fortunately, her wound was minor.

After Albert and Violet left, the office returned to its quiet state, and Sylvia finally couldn't resist starting to gossip.

"It's so exaggerated! Her injury is so minor; if she had come a bit later, it might have already healed. Indeed, first love is the most precious. They broke up two years ago, but he still cares for her. Albert is usually so cold, and I didn't expect him to be so considerate. It seems it all depends on the person," Sylvia said, "But I heard that Albert should have had other women in these two years. Once, during a medical check-up, the nurses in our department said he had hickeys on his body. He's in a relationship but doesn't make it public. I guess his girlfriend is one of those insincere cheap girls."

Sylvia's words made Yvette blush. She didn't want to admit it, but she was the "cheap girl" Sylvia was talking about.

"Do you think Albert will reconcile with Violet?"

Yvette tidied up her desk. "Maybe."

"It's boring to gossip with you. I'm going to chat with other colleagues."

Not long after Sylvia left, the door was pushed open again.

Yvette thought it was Sylvia returning and furrowed her brow. "What's wrong now?"

"I'm just here to confirm how often this medication needs to be changed."

Yvette's body tensed.

It wasn't Sylvia who had come back; it was Albert. She felt a bit awkward, but she tried to stay calm and professionally explained to him the usage and changing time of the medication.

A long silence followed this. The clinic room carried a strong scent of disinfectant, and the bright lights cast shadows on them, deliberately maintaining a distance.

Albert held the medication but didn't leave, simply gazing meaningfully at Yvette. His eyes seemed to penetrate her thoughts, making her feel uneasy.

"Don't you remember? Should I write it down for you?" she said.

He moved his lips lightly and asked, "Have you been well recently?"

Yvette didn't expect him to ask something related to her. She was taken aback, and after a few seconds, she replied in a low voice, "I'm fine."

He nodded and left.

As Yvette watched the door close again, she felt a mix of emotions. Just as she was about to sit down, she noticed a piece of paper on the floor. Yvette picked it up and realized it was a receipt that Albert had dropped. She sighed softly and went after him.

Albert was tall and stood out in the crowd. Yvette quickly found him. At that moment, he was talking to Violet in a corner of the corridor. She approached and overheard Violet throwing a tantrum at him.

"You never used to talk to women voluntarily. You've changed a lot since we broke up. Even if you tell me the truth, I won't get angry. Has Dr. Orlando been your girlfriend for the past two years?"

Yvette's footsteps came to a halt, and her fingers, clutching the receipt, involuntarily tightened, crumpling the thin paper.

The next moment, she heard Albert's familiar deep voice.

"No."