Chapter 3 Confronted for Her Sake Maxen looked genuinely caught off guard by Lyra bringing up divorce . His expression darkened even further . " I won't agree to a divorce . " Lyra stood there , momentarily stunned . Is he refusing to divorce me because … Maxen went on to say , " Grandma wouldn't agree to it either . " Right after , the sound of the door closing behind him echoed through the room . Lyra stayed rooted to the spot , her heart weighed down like it was soaked through and smothered . The thought she'd had just moments ago suddenly felt ridiculous . As if he would ever stay married for my sake . What a joke . Maxen was just worried that Edith would never agree to the divorce . The irony was , she had already signed off on it . He just didn't know . The night ended on a sour note , with the two of them sleeping in separate rooms . By the next morning , once the housekeeper had shown up for work , Maxen was already nowhere to be found . Pretending nothing was out of the ordinary , Lyra ate breakfast 1/6 21:01 Chapter 3 Confronted for Her Sake +2 Bonus by herself . The housekeeper finished cleaning and came out , looking puzzled . " Mrs. Hawthorne , why does it seem like so much stuff is missing from the house ? " The question made Lyra pause . Even the housekeeper had noticed the missing items , yet Maxen hadn't said a single word . It was painfully clear he didn't care . Lyra forced a smile . " Yeah , I had thrown some things out yesterday . Most of it was old stuff , so don't worry about it . " The housekeeper didn't press further . Around noon , Lyra got a call from Leonard , telling her there was a major surgery coming up . The patient's condition was critical , and with the hospital's top neurosurgeon out of town , she was the only one qualified to step in . She rushed to the hospital , changed into her scrubs , and entered the operating room . All the attending doctors were already there , including Veronica . At that moment , the entire operating room was filled with a heavy stench of blood . While the other doctors moved in to check on the patient's injuries , Veronica didn't dare get close . She stood back , turning green and trying not to gag . 2/6 21:01 Chapter 3 Confronted for Her Sake +2 Bonus The anesthesiologist approached Lyra and said , " Thank God you're here , Dr. Sheppard . The patient fell from a construction site and was just brought in . He's unconscious . " Lyra took one look at the patient's condition and couldn't help but draw a sharp breath . An eight - inch steel rod had pierced through his skull and eye . The fact that he was still alive , even in a coma , was nothing short of a miracle . Veronica , trying not to gag , asked , " Can you actually pull this off , Dr. Sheppard ? If anything goes wrong , the patient won't make it . " Lyra shot back without missing a beat , " If I can't handle it , are you going to step in ? " That single line wiped the confidence right off Veronica's face . Lyra then slipped on her gloves and gave quick instructions to the team . " Start with a craniotomy to relieve the pressure . Let's clear as many clots as we can . " At her instructions , the anesthesiologist and surgical assistants moved swiftly into position . Veronica hesitated , biting her lip . " Should I stay and assist ? " The way she had acted earlier had already made it clear she would only get in the way . So , Lyra simply said , " Anyone not 3/6 21:01 Chapter 3 Confronted for Her Sake +2 Bonus essential needs to leave . " Veronica frowned . " But- " Someone cut in , " Dr. Wynn , the patient's condition is critical . Maybe it's best if you go out and talk to the family for now . " It was only natural that they would push Veronica out . None of the lead surgeons at Downtown Memorial Hospital were willing to risk their necks on a surgery like this . Even the slightest error would spell the end of a career . Besides , everyone had seen how Veronica had been acting ever since she walked in . If she didn't have the connections she did , someone would've called her out already . Veronica clenched her fists but had no choice . She turned and stepped out of the operating room . ***** After confirming that the patient's brainstem and major blood vessels weren't damaged , Lyra and her team spent five hours carefully removing the steel rod before moving on to reconstruct the base of the skull . The operation lasted until evening . When the patient's vital signs finally stabilized , everyone let out a breath of relief . 4/6 21:01 Chapter 3 Confronted for Her Sake +3 +2 Bonus While the other doctors immediately went to update the family , Lyra headed straight to the director's office . Leonard lit up when he heard the surgery had been a success . " Oh , Lyly , we couldn't have done this without you . " Lyra replied calmly , " It wasn't just me . The team worked well together , and the patient was lucky . The rod pierced his brain , but it didn't hit any critical structures . If it had , no one could've saved him . " Leonard nodded and tried once more to persuade her . " Are you really not going to reconsider the transfer ? " He had seen firsthand just how talented Lyra was . She wasn't just the youngest lead surgeon at the hospital , but also a woman , which was a rare achievement in the medical field . Scranton was , after all , a third - tier city . The hospital's resources and compensation couldn't compare to what New York offered . To Leonard , it seemed like a waste for Lyra to leave all that behind and transfer to Geisinger Community Medical Center . Lyra shook her head with a smile . " My mind is made up . But if you ever need anything , just reach out . If I'm free , I'll be there . " At that , Leonard gave up trying to convince her . As Lyra stepped out of the office , she saw Maxen striding toward 5/6 21:02 Chapter 3 Confronted for Her Sake +2 Bonus her . She paused , ready to speak . But he walked right past her and simply said , " I need a word with you , Dr. Sheppard . " Lyra then followed him to the balcony . Fresh out of a long surgery , she was clearly exhausted , her face drawn . " What is it Maxen cut her off , " Why did you single out Veronica in the OR ? " Write your comment